Chance of Change: Rewrite
by Yoshida Megumi-chan
Summary: "Aw man. I got there to find what's wrong with me and my sister, then suddenly I find myself in a group consisting of a hyper-positive super-boy, an annoying young doctor, a revenge-seeking teen, and an ex-pro assassin, all of them prying in our past. I can feel that this won't end well..." KilluaxOC1, GonxOC2. RATED T FOR VIOLENCE ONLY.
1. Prologue

_**Hey, it's Yoshida Megumi-chan on charge!**_

 _ **I haven't seen any of you since… November? Erm, sorry for the rewriting of this story, because I'm pretty sure at least**_ **someone** _ **wanted this fanfic to be updated (yes, my self-esteem has been lifted slightly), but the main reason I updated wasn't because I didn't have the time or because I had to study. In reality, I was reading multiple fanfiction guides and stories so I couldn't make mistakes writing mine.**_

 _ **After more than half a year from the time I 'abandoned' this story, I returned to read it. It was hideous, by my new standards, and now I am going to make it significantly better (I hope, at least). Now, without much delay, I present to you the prologue of 'Chance of Change'! Enjoy!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I do not own the characters in Hunter x Hunter or the show itself, unless specifically said so. As you can probably all realize, Anzu, Mana, Lapis and their backgrounds (I am including possible future OCs in this) are mine.**_

 _ **12.12.2015 - Rebooting it again, because I couldn't stand it in First Person POV. I'm not really sure when I'll be posting it, but I hope more of you will find it readable this way (speaking as a person who generally hates First Person POV fics)**_

 _ **26.01.2016 – Okay this was actually supposed to be published with the new chapter but at the pace I was going, who knew when I would have ended chapter 4. Also, there are some warnings to be placed. I ultimately decided that this would be left with a T ranking, at least for now. There**_ **are** _ **some triggering things at later chapters (at least from my point of view), as well as 'uncomfortable' revelations and discussions of characters' gender and sexual identity. That, and I really like playing with people's heads, which has unfortunately transferred to my story and, consequently, to**_ **ALL** _ **characters that are even slightly prone to this in canon. In other words, there is going to be some light mind-fucking in the future, if you would excuse my crude language.**_

 _ **And the topic which actually pushed me to publish this chapter: the 'dual personality', as some people would put it. For those of you who read this again, then you know what I am talking about, and for those who are reading for the first time, then if you don't want it to be spoiled, read this chapter and come back to read this.**_

 _ **I read somewhere at a Mary-Sue guide about dual personality and the portrayal of it in fanfics, especially where the OC is cute and**_ **just happens to have** _ **an over-powered evil side that talks with the OC on a regular basis. I and the author on said article think that this is highly insulting to the people who**_ **actually have** _ **similar diseases (is it rude to refer their situation as 'disease'? If not, then you all have my sincerest apologizes). I wanted to state that, no matter what all of you might think, this is**_ **not such a case** _ **. They don't have dual personalities (although you can think of it that way from a certain point of view, now that I think about it) and they don't have an over-powered side (again, this is debatable on some levels, however I assure you they will not be stronger than the canon main characters). It is a very complicated matter that will spoil the story, however, if you want to know about it, just PM me and I will explain it to you to the best of my abilities. I have to warn you, though, that if any of you decide to cross the line and becomes aware of my future plans about this story, I have the full right to ban you from spoiling other readers and to pester you about the portrayal of said situation. Thus, ask at your own risk ;P**_

 _ **Listening while writing: ONE OK ROCK, SCANDAL, Stereopony**_

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Prologue:

Anzu's POV:

The girl's breath was coming out ragged, and it created a white cloud every time she exhaled. Her feet hurt from all the thorns that were in them. She was mentally beating herself up for not being as organized as she should, and forgetting the small fact that she was going to run barefoot through a big forest in the winter. The thing she was trying to do was crazy enough, and it certainly didn't help much that not only she was _supposedly_ beaten half to death, but she had to carry her _actually_ beaten half to death little sister on her very bruised back. And no, the adjective 'little' did _not_ in any sense mean her weight. Sure, she was lighter than normal, but muscles _do_ have mass that's worth considering. And Anzu wasn't strength-based, sadly.

But, back on the current problem. The white-haired girl was running through a thick forest, barefoot, and in _this particular_ forest the wolves didn't ask you where your grandmother lived, they just pounced on you, no matter if you were feeding them for four years. They were not loyal to anyone who wasn't in their pack. And – surprise, surprise – she _wasn't_ in their pack.

Anzu could already see the walls that were surrounding their 'yard' – in other words, the enormous forest that was separating them from freedom. The pursuers were catching up to the two girls, but if there was one thing the older one was grateful for, it was that they were the wolves in the forest. It meant that they couldn't exit the borders of the wall.

Sadly, that didn't apply to the _very human being_ that was with them.

The girl dreaded the moment she would reach the big gate that could finally let both of them out just as much as she anticipated it. Mana and her going through it meant not only freedom. It also meant the death sentence of the one pursuing them.

Anzu was so lost in thought that she almost bumped into said door. The girl sank her heels in the ground so she wouldn't slam into the concrete wall. Her nose barely touched it and she exhaled, relieved.

 _So far, none of us is dead. That's good. Just two or three near-death experiences and we're not even outside, but it doesn't bother me. At all._

/ _Yeah, no._ /

 _Shut up, voice._

/ _I heard your command loud and clear and am therefore officially disregarding it._ /

It seems fate hated Anzu that day, because right then her pursuer showed up, her quiet footsteps echoing around. Anzu knew that for her, to create that much noise by simply stepping would be like stomping on the ground like an elephant for a normal person.

"Anzu" she called the escapee quietly. The white-haired girl didn't turn around. She didn't want to see her face. She could _not_ allow some sisterly bonds get in the way of their freedom. Although it was too late, and they both knew it. Hearing her voice was hard enough. She was going to die, and Anzu was leaving her to rot here. "Are you really going outside? You were barely able to pass thought the house. You are on the brink of exhaustion. There is not, both theoretically and physically, any way to escape."

The hollow voice she used made the conscious twin hate herself more for leaving her. She, at least, was used to the concept 'emotions' because she had to interact with people to get her job done. Her pursuer just needed to find her target and kill it without a sound and fuss. All of this just reminded Anzu of all the other people she was leaving behind.

"Lapis…"

Anzu made the mistake to turn around and look at her. She looked just like she always had, and this unnerved her. Unchanging, unemotional, unfriendly… Her dark, ink blue hair was split in half and up to her knees. She was in her light blue sleeping gown, she was barefoot like them. But her left eye, the not bandaged one, never showed pain. Lapis just stared at the girls with blank look, the light sky blue Anzu always said was full with emotion, was now as blank as she was.

"I'm sorry." The twin whispered softly. The bluehead just continued to stare at her. "I'm sorry for leaving you. But it has to be done. I won't be able to see you for some time. But I'll definitely become stronger, so I can protect you. I promise, someday you'll be out from this house. Trust me, Lapis nee-chan." The girl did not stop staring at her, not showing any kind of reaction. Anzu tensed, ready for an attack. Instead, Lapis turned her back to both of them.

"Promises are incredibly stupid and irrational things. However, I will take your word now. I pray you won't forget what you promised." There was a flash of _something_ in her eyes, which was ridiculous because they were as blank as always. Yet something was eating her away. Something was amiss. Before she could try to puzzle it out, the blunette turned around almost determinately, which, in itself, was, again, strange. However, the older twin did not ask, and Lapis slowly walked back into the forest, shoulders squared and chin held high. This time her footsteps were not heard.

Anzu turned to the door in front of her. It was similar to the one Zoldycks, an old assassin family they had (supposedly) copied things from, had. That's what the servants said to her with hushed voices, at least. Her dad once had mentioned that the first gate weighted 2 tons, but she didn't remember if it was the weight of the Neonville's door or the Zoldycks'. Maybe he didn't know himself.

Anzu shook her head, she had no time to ponder on useless things. Repositioning Mana on her back, the awake twin placed her palms on the hard stone and pressed with all her strength, including the little Nen knowledge she had. Six out of the seven doors opened almost immediately and Anzu was moderately satisfied, if a little winded. And yet, again, something didn't add up.

 _Yeah, amazing, I can move all that and stuff. It didn't feel like the 128 tons it was supposed to be, though. It was far too light to reach the triple digits dad had bragged about so much. It was more like 12, if you ask me._

/ _Hn, that old man was probably deceived. Doesn't surprise me, he never really did things like they were supposed to be._ /

 _Yes, yes, our old man can't do things correctly, let's leave it at that. But, more importantly, if my assumption is correct, I can move 12 tons without problem._

/ _WE can move 12 tons without problem, you mean._ /

 _Yes, yes, stop boasting, it's my body, my ability. Now, what should we do?_

/ _How about we try the Hunter Exams? It sounds fun, it's dangerous, we can maybe find a friend or two, a place and a job for us and Mana, and a way to test our power_./

 _And return our memories, maybe._

The voice didn't reply, but Anzu was sure it was pursing its voice-ly lips. They both knew that the memories Anzu was searching for were a touchy subject.

Mana and Anzu knew they were born and raised here, as assassins, poor copies of the Zoldycks' genius mastery of the arts of killing. However both knew something was missing, even if they remembered only bits and pieces of _something else_. They just didn't have the resolve to try to remember, as the voices always talked them out of it.

But not now. Now that Anzu made the big step, now that she escaped this, no one was going to stop her from finding out the truth the voices were so desperately trying to cover, and no one was even going to _try_ _to think_ about stopping her from making a future for Mana. She wasn't sad or scared that they were running away from the place they had called their home since they remembered being born.

The twin walked forward with confident steps, ignoring the desperate want of her entire body to start shivering from fright. She wasn't going to be afraid of the world she so desperately wanted to live in. That would be such a waste of life.

Anzu was pretty sure the voice just shook its imaginary voicy head in exasperation, but didn't comment. It was a mutual agreement not to consider questioning each other's motives seriously. They were, after all, one and the same. It would be bad if they didn't agree on something.

The girl heard the heavy doors slam heavily behind her. It sounded like they were no longer welcome there. She sighed in relief, shoulders sagging. Somehow, however (she heavily suspected the voice), a memory popped in her head.

' _We are assassins and you know it very well; to us, the target is our life. If you leave the house without a clear goal, without a target whose life to end, then there is no point of being outside at all.',_ echoed Mana and Anzu's mentor's words. At that time, they were six, and both of them nearly idolized the old man. When he had said that particular line, they took it nearly as God's word, not searching for any purpose in life other than killing. The voice, which had appeared far more irregularly and not nearly as often as now, had snorted and called it an old fart's delusional ideals. Anzu had, as always, ignored it, thinking it to be just a crude pop-up thought that had no meaning. Ironically, that quote was the main reason they stayed with their father – these were the words that had formed their simple world. However, now it didn't matter. Now they had a purpose beyond the walls that had always caged them, and damn Anzu's soul if she wasn't making her life worthy now that she was free.

She looked around and felt her gut wrench when she fully realized that she was running away, finally seeing the world both of them had never seen before. Her footsteps were raising dust from the ground every time they hit it, but she didn't care. Mana and Anzu were free, finally. And the older twin wasn't going to leave this freedom get away from them. But first things first…

"Now," She said aloud to the voice, smirking slightly and finally managing to calm her shaking hands and legs, "Just how difficult to take is the famous Hunter Exam, I wonder?"


	2. Chapter 1: Juice X Friends

_**Hey, Yoshida Megumi-chan here! Here is the new chapter of the rewrite of my story (if that isn't obvious). I wish you would enjoy the now edited version of my fanfiction!**_

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Chapter 1: Juice x Friends

Anzu's POV:

The tunnel-like room was really big. And I mean, like, really big. Really, really big. It looked like these sewers from the old films. Eh, what? We _are_ in a sewer? Oh, sorry then. I didn't know. I was distracted.

So, ahem, back to the story. Since for you it _is_ kinda confusing jumping from one time to another, let me explain.

Mana and I ran away from home three weeks ago. We got signed to the Hunter Exam and arrived, luckily without any problems, to Zaban. Then I got lost.

Yes, you read/heard right. I got lost. One of the guides walked with me and the other – with Mana. Which is why I am here now, sporting a 213 badge, praying that I will see my little sister in the Hunter Exam. Not exactly the sanest thinking.

The spacey place was filling with muscular men. Not that the height (or weight, for that matter) can provide winning. These with the most potential were either the strangest or the quietest people. I mean, it's common sense for the uncommon people. An unspoken rule, even, if you want.

I sighed, my eyes searching for contestants around my age. It was futile for now. There was no way in hell somebody relatively sane at the age of twelve to have the guts to take the exam. But I wasn't the type who gives up easily so I had some hope left. And, well, the Hunter Exam wasn't really famous for gathering sane people, was it?

After sitting for almost half an hour without doing anything, I decided to walk a little. Which leads to me wandering a bit – the competitors were extremely slow and dense and didn't even notice me when I passed past them – and looking for suspicious faces, someone that would threaten Mana or me. It seemed I didn't have to search long before someone like that popped in front of me.

It was the fatty guy with a square nose – number 16 – who walked towards me. I nervously played with the hem of my hood, secretly checking for escaped locks. Because, well, you must agree that a few _very_ long strands of silver hair (long for a guy, at least,) and an overall feminine body won't do well trying to hide my gender. I didn't want to risk my – for now – perfectly good chances of passing this exam just because someone finds out I am a girl and wants to immediately protect me and in fact just gets in my way. Plus, I didn't like this guy, something felt off. Just the more reason to make him think I'm a boy as you don't know what men would do with a little girl.

"Hi!" he greeted me. "My name's Tonpa. You're new, right? I'm here for the 35th time. You can say I'm a kind of veteran here. Do you want to be friends?" Okay, first, the fatty told too much information to be considered a good strategist. I was just nodding, carefully studying his expression. I looked at him when he asked the last question.

 _Friend?_ I asked myself mentally. _This guy? I must be blind if I want even to stand near him. Clearly, he is a rookie crusher. And I'm his prey. The good thing is that he doesn't know I'm a girl or he could have used another tactic. I'll tag along, but even if he can't see my face, I must be careful. One wrong move and it's going to be harder to keep my secret. Well, this could only keep me away from the boredom that is haunting me but I can't clearly understand why he told me he failed so many times, it's not something that can raise your pride-_ I suddenly realized what he was doing and frankly, it annoyed me. He was practically saying: ' _If I, a Hunter Exam veteran, can't pass, there is absolutely no way for you to do it._ ' I hated people like that. Time for payback!

"I'm Shiro! Nice to meet you! Will you be my friend?" I asked with glittering eyes. The excitement was fake, of course - what idiot would believe that lying meatball - but he didn't notice. "For the very, very real?" he nodded, looking a bit pink.

Tonpa really fell for my act. Like my maid was saying 'Cuteness is the best weapon for a woman to have!' This guy was no different from the other ones who all fell for the same old trick. The difference was that while they ended up dying, this one would end crippled. Not that I cared, because if Mana was something, it was being a naïve little thing to the ones she really thought as friends/family/close people, the professional assassin side aside. I could never let him roam around her without means to dispose of him, even if this meant I would have to turn him into a shoutacon. And I was succeeding, to my utmost relief. The Tonpa who was here to make me fail the exam was now melting. I could see how his facade was crumbling and smirked mentally. Adults were so easy to control!

 _Oh, I'm so turning your life in hell for underestimating me. Fatties should know their places._ I thought angrily. If there was one thing I despised it was someone underestimating me, even it was advantageous. It just rubbed me the wrong way, or something. Now, how should I break this two-faced clown?

Then my eyes fell on the orange juice he was holding in his hand. What was he planning to do with the can, poison me? How lame. Every relatively smart kid knows not to take anything from strangers. Does he think I am this stupid? He pisses me off. Revenge Time!

"Ne, ne, Tonpa-san" I said with my best innocent-and-curious-little-brat voice as I pointed to one of the orange cans. "Is this for me?" The man flinched, and by the regret in his eyes I could see that he was now regretting his meeting with me. He was hesitating whenever he should or shouldn't give me the drink, as it was his … Job? Hobby? After a few seconds of debating, he apparently decided. He shook his head fiercely and I held the urge to let out a pleased smirk. So far so good, now…

"N-No, Shiro-chan, this isn't for you. I-it's for someone else." Tonpa avoided the question, starting to sweat.

I almost made a victorious grin. He reacted the exact same way I planned him to, down to the gestures and words! Now, time to start the act to utterly destroy the fatty-now-shoutacon! And… Go!

I sniffed and looked at him with puppy eyes – not that he could see them through, but one can never be too careful – and fake tears started falling down my cheeks. The old man trembled when he saw the tears. Yes, old man, feel the power of children tears!

While I cried rivers of tears, I spotted something white at the end of my sight. For a moment I thought it was Mana and subtly glanced at the left, but it wasn't my sister. It was a boy around my age, with silver hair and big eyes glinting with mischief. Lucky me! There _is_ some kid insane enough to enter the Hunter Exams! Now I can just pray for him to be either interesting or fun. And yes, there was a difference: interesting is when you can't guess what he is thinking or if he is full of surprises; fun is to laugh when you see him being eaten or tortured.

But I had no time for thinking about that boy now. My toy/prey was Tonpa and I wanted to play with him just a little more, because underestimating me was unforgivable. The still crying me looked straight in the man's eyes. And I'm around ninety-nine percent sure he couldn't see my eyes, but meh. It's not important.

"Then… you won't give me juice? Is it for someone special? For someone more special than me?" I asked, more false tears rolling down my cheeks. Thank you, Mey, for teaching me how to cry when I don't want to cry! It's an international knowledge that no man wants to see a girl crying, just the heartless bastards don't show it. And well, Tonpa may be cruel, but he's not heartless. And he's a shoutacon. A crying shouta boy is worse than a crying girl. I could literally hear how his heart was pounding with guilt. I continued. "And you said we were friends… Tonpa-san, you liar!" I almost shouted, ignoring the stares of the other participants.

The man's face was filled with so much sadness that for a second I felt slightly guilty for playing with his feeling. Just for a second thought. Then I remembered that he was underestimating me, and that he was a possible threat to Mana, and the guilt disappeared, changing to anger and nonchalance. I had to secure the safety of Mana, because I knew she was here, and that she would be targeted. Even small threats had to be disposed of before they turned into something bigger.

When he handed me the can with trembling hands, I opened it and before he could tell me that there was a chance for the juice to be expired or think about some other excuse for me not to drink the poisonous juice, I had already drank it. It was delicious, even though orange wasn't my favorite juice flavor. It was refreshing, even. I hadn't drunk anything poisoned after we ran away from home. It was nostalgic. That didn't change the fact that he could have tried to poison my sister, and it irked me. When I finished the drink, I threw the empty can on the floor and stepped on it, crushing the aluminum and trying to vent out my frustration without going on a killing spree. I was well aware that it wouldn't end well for me, because I wasn't delusional. I knew that here are people I _really_ don't want to mess with.

"Wha…!" was Tonpa's comment as I tried not to grimace. He didn't help me to calm down, not at all. Not to mention that the same boy with white hair I spotted a little ago looked at us somehow interested. I ignored him.

"I'm sorry, Tonpa-san, but orange juice isn't my favorite. Well, it was delicious, so thank you very much." I bowed to him, kicking the remains of the aluminum behind me with a subtle move. There were tons of eyes on us, but not even one was particularly strong or dangerous. Well, maybe excluding that white-haired kid from earlier. He was giving me a calculating stare, and I immediately felt like someone was dissecting me _(why do I know how that feels? No one's dissected me before. What am I forgetting? What am I missing? Do I want to know?)_

Tonpa was finally out of his stupor, although he was still watching me a little suspiciously. Well, I'm in the Hunter Exam, dude! How do you think I entered, charming the director/receptionist/ticket giver/whatever the man that I had to sign that document to was called?! Well, it's not really excluded, but…

"Tonpa-san," I called him, "Can you please give me two more cans? The juice was certainly delicious, and I may change my favorite juice to orange, all thanks to you!" And complete the look with a beaming smile! Not three seconds after that, and I'm handed two cans of drugged juice. I waved at him. "I'm going to walk around! See you in Phase One!" The guy nodded and, grinning a little forcefully, walked away from me.

Not thirty seconds after the man's depart, I sensed someone behind me, but I didn't hear footsteps at all. It creeped me out. No one in our family – or bodyguards, whatever – could walk so silently, and yet there it is, a guy possibly more skilled in assassination than me, my sister, my family, my bodyguards, my – oh, you get the idea.

 _/Not better, not better, hasn't seen anything, can never be on my level, I'm strongerstrongerstronger_ _ **stronger**_ **strongerSTRONGER-** _/_

Ignoring the nagging voice in my head – it was fanatically screaming about me being better now – I turned around, standing face to face with the boy with white hair. He glanced at me, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief, and a corner of my mouth twitched upwards.

"Do you need anything?" I asked politely, but inside that voice was furious.

 _/Just a kid, a baby, there is no way I can't hear him walking, no way, no way, no waynowaynowaynoway_ _ **nowaynowayNOWAY**_ **NOWAY-** _/_

The boy smirked lightly and pointed at the cans in my hands.

"Wanna share?" Finding nothing wrong with his question, I handed him a can. For a moment, I was tempted to say that it was poisoned/drugged/whatever, but the kid _(why am I calling him a kid? He looks the same age as me)_ looked pretty confident, so I decided not to mention it. There is no way someone who can walk so quietly to not be immune to _laxatives_ , at least. _(How do I know it's laxatives? The voice is absolutely sure it's laxatives, but they don't have color, odor or taste… What am I missing? Why can't I remember?)_ I opened my own can and we gulped down the contents in sync. The boy threw the empty can behind him, uncaring, and I followed his doing, aiming specifically for some bulky prick that was bragging to a couple of even bulkier pricks. I didn't care for the results much, but it was amusing to watch that mountain of muscles curse. A snort beside me made me turn to the – still unnamed, how annoying! – boy. He coughed and turned to me.

"I'm Killua." I nodded, thinking about him. A future friend, maybe. I decided to be straightforward, if I lied, there was the real almost 100% probability of him catching me redhanded and not trusting me. I sighed, as if resigning myself to a terrible fate – maybe I was, maybe I wasn't, but I could feel in my _bones_ that if I decided to follow this little prick around (I ignored the fact that I was shorter than him) I will be in for many trouble. Trouble = Interesting things happen almost every day. It's more than obvious if I decided to trust him, I think.

"Anzu. Nice to meetcha." A smirk tugged on Killua's lips as he shifted his skateboard – which I noticed only now; the voice in my head was screaming at me for letting my guard down – and he turned to face me fully.

"Well, Anzu. What do you want to do now?"


	3. Chapter 2: Run X Trial

_**Hey there, it's Yoshida Megumi-chan on charge! I hope you liked the revised chapters better! I'll update as fast as I can without the quality of my works suffering. Now, enjoy!**_

"Hey" – normal speech

 _(Hey) – thinking_

/ _Hey_ / _\- other side/side with memories thinking_

 _Hey – flashback_

" _Hey" – flashback talking/flashback words_

 _ **I want to ask, there are going to be references of gore and torture here. Should I rate it M or leave it as T?**_

 _ **Chapter 3: Run X Trial**_

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Anzu's (Shiro's) POV:

Some annoying bell rang out of nowhere and I had to cover my ears. It was a hideous sound. Killua snorted, obviously making fun of me, and I threw him a dirty look. Loud sounds irritated me, but I didn't know why. Of course, that nagging voice in my head supplied me with scenes I have never seen. And, surprise surprise, _they weren't pretty._

/ _Screaming, begging, blood everywhere, bones snapping, squicking sounds, pain,painpainpain_ _ **painpain**_ _helphelphelpsomeonehelpImscared-_ /

I shook my head, trying to forget about the hideous pictures. It didn't work, but I found myself wondering what they meant. I knew my entire life, I had no blank spaces, just something felt like it wasn't there. This isn't something you'd find in some shounen manga. Not to mention that I probably don't want even to know… My thoughts were interrupted when a no-mouth man appeared out of nowhere (technically, he came from behind the iron wall that was no longer there. I just have to stop spacing out).

"I apologize for the wait." He said. I noted his purple hair.

 _(Strange color… well, I'm not the one to talk, with my white hair. Maybe I should cut it? What with me pretending to be a boy and all…)_ I thought as I remembered said hair, which was reaching my shoulders. It felt unnaturally long, as I started to grow it out this spring (it's winter now; my previous hairstyle was a bob).

* * *

" _Nee-chan…" Mana was running her fingers through Anzu's short, white hair. "I liked it better when your hair was long, reaching just above your knees."_

" _Mana…" The older sister trailed off. "I never had long hair."_

* * *

 _(Nah, Mana said she likes it better if it's long, and it's going to be a drag finding a place to cut it without anyone seeing and if someone stumbled on me by some miraculous coincidence, my identity is going to be revealed.)_

I sighed softly and the man continued. "The entry period of Hunter applicants has ended. The Hunter Exam will now begin!" The examinees – excluding selected few, counting me and Killua - looked around in either fear or nervousness. Or maybe both. "A final caution" the man said. I threw him an annoyed look. Was it too hard just to let them die?

/ _Let them taste death, these ungrateful-_ / I blocked the rest of the raging storm of angst out, instead setting on glaring at the examiner – because he was one, right?

He ignored me, but I was sure he caught my glare. "If you are short on luck or ability, you could very well end up seriously injured or even dead. Those who accept the risks, please follow me. Otherwise, please exit via the elevator behind you." None of the people moved, as expected, but I could almost feel the nervousness of many of them. It was annoying, but I guess that's what normal humans are like. "Very well. All 404 applicants will participate in Phase One." He said.

I raised an eyebrow. ( _404? But I think I saw a badge number 405…)_

Then I looked around and almost jumped out of my skin when I saw a man on the floor beside me, without his hands. He was deathly pale, and his chest wasn't rising. He had died from blood loss, I assumed. Well, the killer is very brutal; or just he got bored and decided to listen to the screams of the poor man. But the more important thing is the fact that I missed it. _How the fuck_ I was able to miss that. I _really_ have to stop spacing out.

/ _Start paying attention, you little- We'll be killed if we're so useless!_ /I didn't like the sound of that. Trying to distract myself, I turned to Killua and pointed to the corpse.

"When did that happen?" I whispered. He turned to me and gave me an Are-you-serious look. I shrugged. "I was distracted." He sighed, shaking his head.

"This man bumped into some clown-like freako and didn't apologize. You can see the results for yourself." I bit my lip.

"Some explosive temper he has." Killua just smirked.

"He looked pretty relaxed to me."

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the Examiner – I was almost one hundred percent sure he was the Examiner since he wasn't wearing a badge and he smelled like power. _(How does power smell? Why the voice always has some extravagant opinion on everything and it's almost always true. Irritating… And how should I call this voice? I don't have a name about it…)._ This reminds me, I don't know the man's name yet.

The man started walking forward with big steps, as if he was a robot. Poor him. I could tell very few people trusted this guy. Well, I didn't, too, but that's beside the point. I didn't think of him as a freak, at least. We all followed him through the tunnel. The man was speeding up, I realized with a start, as the people in front of us started jogging. Soon we were running. Killua dropped his skateboard on the ground and hopped on it, driving next to me.

"I forgot to introduce myself." The examiner suddenly said. Heh. He finally remembered. "My name is Satotz, the examiner of Phase One. I shall now lead you to the exam's Second Phase."

Satotz, huh? A nice name. Not very common, but it feels right on him. Some of the examiners asked about the First Phase and I mentally face-palmed. Many of the participants were as dumb as muscular, it seemed. Which leads to this conclusion: adult men are idiots. It was going to be a breeze, the Hunter Exam.

/ _For now, at least._ / The voice commented slyly. I hid the shiver that traveled up my spine. That knowing voice, that sense of foreboding…

"You must follow me to the Second Phase. This is the First Phase. I cannot tell you where or when you must arrive. You need to follow me." Satotz-san explained.

Some of the people groaned, other smirked, speeding up probably to impress him, but I knew better than anyone that the ones who can pass are in the middle, not wasting energy to be in front and far from the deadly last lines, where the rookie crushers were taking their sweet time with their prey. They weren't talking, just focusing on the task. That, or they were in the back, hunting weaker participants to satisfy their bloodlust. I didn't want to meet people like that. The voice growled and I was pressed to think about something non-blood related.

Well, there is a super good distraction next to me. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He looked so confident that it was bordering on cockiness. But… I couldn't help but smile slightly as I thought of Killua, my first – possible (?) friend. We were going to be Hunters together.

After approximately fifteen minutes of silence between the two of us, Killua finally turned to me and asked the question I dreaded the most.

"Anzu… You're a girl, aren't you." My mouth became a thin line.

"At least form it like a question, Killua. It makes me question my acting skills." I told him, half-joking. He rolled his eyes. "By the way, I'm Shiro. Here, at least." He nodded, humming. "Hey."

"What?" He turned to face me again.

"Can we be, I don't know, friends?" I looked pointedly away from him.

"I thought you aren't supposed to be asking." Killua commented. I felt myself blushing in embarrassment.

"Well yes, but… Uh… I don't have experience, and you look like you don't, too-" I ignored the 'Hey!' that was shot in my direction, "-so I decided to confirm that we are, in fact, friends."

Killua adopted a very thoughtful look. I managed to force down the 'Don't hurt yourself' remark with a bit of struggle. The voice cackled. I had to bite back the 'Shut your creepy mouth, voice!', too.

"Well," he finally started, "friends know much about each other, right? So let's ask questions, for example I ask one and you answer it, then I answer it. Then you ask one and so on." It was a surprisingly good idea and we spent the next hours finding about each other. No one asked anything private, but it was fun.

"And… favorite food?" I asked. A full-blown grin appeared on Killua's face, as if I had just asked him about his girlfriend.

"Chocolate! But sweets in general, too." Wow. There goes the saying 'Chocolate is a girl's best friend'. "Yours?"

"Hm… Curry? Mapo tofu? I don't know, I like spicy things." He blinked.

"Not chocolate?"

"Not chocolate." I confirmed. He titled his head back.

"Never met a girl that doesn't like chocolate before." I bit back a remark, 'Sorry if I'm not girly enough, but I don't have to worry because you will be extra girly for me, right? You're girly enough as it stands, a little more wouldn't hurt', and instead settled on a glare. Feeling my eyes boring in his back, Killua raised his arms in defeat. "Sorry, sorry!" He wasn't sorry at all.

"At least make it sound like you're telling the truth, old man!" He twitched.

"Shut it! I'm the absolutely healthy and young twelve years old!" Then he shook his head. "Let's stop now. That's out fifth argument, we won't get anywhere with our questions."

"I think I know a lot more about you than two hours ago…" His shoulders sagged at my words.

"Devoid of any social skills…" I had to remind myself that pushing this cocky ass off his skateboard won't solve anything and that there's actually no way I'd catch him out of guard, but hey, a girl can hope, no?

"So, your question is…?" Killua snapped out of his depression…thingy (corner?) and faced me.

"Yeah…Hm…What food do you not like and why? I hate green peppers; they look so icky, like barf." He shivered, a disgusted expression on his face. Oh, why did it have to be this question?

"Well… I don't like eggs because-" Ugh that was a very embarrassing experience and I didn't want to tell it to Killua. He'd laugh at me…

/ _Strategically big NO! Room full of curious ears, enemies, if you reveal your weakness now then just slit your throat, the results will be the same!_ / Wow voice, you just said something smart and logical without screaming for death or blood. That's a big improvement!

Now, how should I dodge the question… Well, it seems I didn't need to think about it, because now some idiot monkey was screaming at us something like this:

"Hey, wait up kid!" … Yeah. Weird. We both turned to him, bored expressions in place. "You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!"

"What do you mean?" Killua asked, looking at him. I was honestly curious, too. And maybe a little annoyed.

"Why are you using a skateboard?" the man yelled again. "That's cheating!" Wow that's an impressive pair of lungs from such a scrawny adult.

"Why?" my friend – can I call him that? - replied, asking another question. Don't piss him off, Killua, I don't want to go deaf.

"Why?!" Too late, the man was pissed. "This is an endurance test!" I felt my eardrums pulsing. God, this guy was annoying.

/ _My ears!_ / The voice howled. / _Please, rip his throat off or whatever, just make him shut up!_ / I agreed wholeheartedly.

"No, it isn't." a boy in green outfit ran closer from behind me. My eyes narrowed a little; I didn't sense him coming. Man, what's with the Hunter Exam and people – kids! - appearing out of nowhere without me sensing them? It's getting seriously annoying.

"Gon, what are you saying?" the man yelled again. He sure loves to scream, huh? The voice giggled an insane giggle. How did I know it was insane? DUDE I WAS PRACTICALLY PISSING MY PANTS FROM FEAR THIS VOICE IN MY HEAD IS SCARY. Ehem. Yeah. Continuing…

"The examiner only told us to follow him." The boy from before reasoned. He had that air of innocence only babies had. I could literally see pink flowers floating around him if I looked hard enough. The old man was very angry from the betrayal of his friend (?), which, of course, didn't make him quieter.

"Whose side are you on, eh?" he yelled. Again. God. Soooooo annoying.

"Can you stop screaming?" I finally asked him. "You're irritating me and the other participants. I'm impressed you yell like that considering there are around fifty people that want to kill you just to shut you up." I pointed to a group of bulky guys (honestly what's with men and large muscles) that were glaring at him, cracking their knuckles. Needless to say, the man instantly shut up.

"She's right, Leorio" a boy with girly look said to 'Leorio'. "It's dangerous. And if you shout like that, you will grow tired faster."

"Is that so, Kurapika? I didn't know!" the boy in green added. I titled my head. Now I'm one hundred percent sure I saw flowers floating around him. The goofy smile doesn't really help, either.

"I-It is logical, Gon." The 'Kurapika' boy sweatdropped. Said boy scratched the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

I assumed 'Gon' was the boy in green. What a ball of sunshine he seemed to be. Aside from the old man, Gon and the blond boy, there was a girl around my age. She was wearing a black oversized sweater which sleeves covered her hands completely. She had black boots with wine red socks and the same color shorts. A black beret rested on her head and her white shoulder-length hair was split in two loosely pigtails at each side of her head, wearing 'X'-shaped clips. _**(A/N: Think Yuzuriha Inori's hairstyle from Guilty Crown)**_ My eyes widened in realization as I met her bloody-red gaze. _(Wow I didn't realize it was her even though we are sisters just what kind of big sister am I?)_

"Mana?" I said surprised and earning confused looks from everyone, including Killua. Mana turned around to face me and her eyes widened.

"Anzu Nee-chan!" the girl tackled me, almost making me fall. The others just stayed still and stared at us, but I heard the snort coming from one white haired idiot. I struggled to regain my balance while keeping my sister in the air without dropping her. As I said before, she might be small, but she is _not_ light. I finally let go of her and spun her around so she could face her companions, hiding myself behind her. No one would call a boy 'Nee-chan'. I was doomed. When I finally had the guts to look around, four males – thankfully they were Kurapika, Leorio, Gon and Killua or I would have died – were staring at us in confusion. It was very awkward.

"No lookie! The Exam won't wait for you!" Mana announced and they all snapped out of it, starting to run faster so they would catch up. Mana and I followed them. We ran in silence, but Gon was constantly throwing me looks. I was really close to him, just two feet apart, and I could feel him burning holes in me. For such a cute boy, he sure was scary.

"Hey, how old are you?" Killua asked. _(Thank you for the aversion, Gramps!)_ I thought and threw him half-teasing, half-thankful look. Mana snorted, probably finding out what I was thinking (TWIN TELEPATHY!), and I'm sure I saw Killua's eye twitch. Nah, it must be just my imagination. Gon's gaze lifted to me. _Again._

"What?" I finally snapped at him. The boy looked at me with his wide smile. _(Where the fuck are these flowers coming from?!)_

"My name is Gon! I'm twelve." he introduced himself. I nodded, deciding not to tell him that I already knew his name. Then my gaze fell on my sister. I was glad she was okay. Gon's eyes followed mine. I'm starting to think that maybe he's getting a little overprotective of her. "Your sister is a really kind person." Gon beamed. I had the sudden urge to laugh. ( _He_ _just met her and could tell she was kind person?)_ I ducked my head to hide the smile that threatened to appear on my face.

"Anzu. This is Mana." I said quietly. Killua and Mana both raised an eyebrow. I just ignored him. "Both are twelve. And this silver idiot over there is Killua. He is twelve too."

"Hey! You and your sister have silver hair too! Don't you think before spilling something off?" Killua snapped at me. I made sure to lift my head so he could see me rolling my eyes.

"Yes, I do. And I said nothing wrong, right? I _am_ an idiot who gets involved with shoutacons wherever I go, you are an idiot who don't know how even to introduce himself and is virtually dumb about friendship and the likes, and Mana is…" _(What is Mana?)_ "Mana is… Uh, Mana is Mana, so she's an idiot too!" I barked back. From all times, sister blackmail to fail me here… Unthinkable. My response earned a kick from my little sister (of course).

"I am _not_ an idiot! I am a genius and you know it too well!" said girl snapped at me as I sighed. Sometimes I forgot what a prideful baby she is.

"Yes, keep telling yourself this." I smirked at her and she growled. Teasing Mana was almost as fun as teasing Killua!

The boys started chatting like they were old friends, asking me and Mana some questions and at some point we were participating in their conversations, acting like buddies. Well, I hope it wasn't really _acting,_ but… Well, I don't know, it was my first time having friends except my sisters and it was fun. Really, really fun. Hours passed without us noticing at all.

Sometime later, Gon told us about some competition and that the loser must buy the others dinner, but, to be honest, I wasn't interested in a dinner. I mean, yeah, it's food, but I wanted us four to do something together, like, I don't know, bonding time?

Then the stairs appeared. I officially hate stairs. We started climbing up them, but the cheerful way Gon was skipping from step to step was ticking me off. No one can be that happy when climbing stairs! That boy is super weird, I swear.

Good twenty minutes passed without something interesting except our talking.

"Ne, Killua" Gon suddenly called the gramps.

"Hm?" said boy replied. Wow, what a short reply. Well, I am not the one to talk, what with me just nodding or something along these lines.

"Why do you want to be a Hunter?" Hm, that's right, I hadn't asked him that one.

"I don't really want to be." I raised an eyebrow. "I heard the test was hard so I thought of trying it. But so far, it is really easy. Ah, it is going to be a breeze." So it's not only me who's thinking that way. Good.

"And Mana and Anzu?" Gon asked again, turning to us.

We shared a look. I personally thought it wasn't bad to share with someone, but the voice, of course, had objections.

/ _You have to trust him first._ / It told me, and I had to give up because, well, I may trust him enough to give him my name, but this and that are completely different things. And so, well, our answer was…

""We were bored."" We answered in unison. Both Killua and Gon sweatdropped.

""It's just that, isn't it"" They deadpanned. We both twitched.

"What, don't tell me you thought we were going to say something like: 'For revenge!', or 'To conquer the world!' or 'Because I'm running away from an evil organization and I want to be strong enough-'"

"Okay, okay, no need to rub it," Killua interrupted me.

"And why does Gon-san want to be hunter?" Mana suddenly asked, redirecting the attention from us. Gon fired an answer immediately.

"Well, my father abandoned me to be a hunter, so I want to become a hunter to understand why the job was more important to him than me!" He told us happily, without a trace of bitterness in his voice. He sounded like some all-flowers-and-sunshine person, but the voice told me to watch out for him. He hadn't broken a sweat yet, and both I and Mana were sweating lightly. That kid was a monster.

 _(But well…)_ I trailed off as I glanced towards Mana, _(she needs some sunshine, and I don't think Gon cares much about the moral views of normal people. Basically, if we are friends, it doesn't matter even if we are Satan himself, as long as we don't hurt someone he cares about we're okay, huh… I'll try to pair them up; I think it'll work…)_

"I-I don't know what are you thinking about, but I somehow know it's connected with me." Mana's words returned me from my thoughts and I smirked in her direction. She tensed after seeing my mischievous look.

"I don't know what you are talking about." I answered with a deliberately smug voice, my eyes shifting back and forth from Mana to Gon, trying to see if she could make the connection. She could, apparently, as she suddenly flushed.

"N-No way!" she shouted. "Stop being so perverted-minded, you moron!" I bit back a laugh.

"Aren't you overthinking this, my dear little sister?" My eyes narrowed. "I think you are the perverted-minded here. After all, you can't say what is perverted unless you know that it's perverted, right? May I know just what are you implying?"

Her face was beef red. Killua's shoulders were shaking.

"T-That's it! I'm not going to talk to you anymore!" she exclaimed, speeding up as we spotted the exit. We all ran faster, crossing the finish line at the same time, and my thoughts drifted to Mana and Gon.

 _(They are going to be the perfect couple.)_ Then I looked at Killua. We shared an amused look, both biting our lips to refrain from laughing. _(And I think I just found an accomplice.)_ I grinned happily as Satotz-san eyed us with sudden interest. _(I think I befriended some strange people. Well, it's not going to be boring, at least.)_

* * *

 _ **And end! Huh, so tired. See you next chapter!**_


	4. Chapter 3: Monsters X Cooking X No Good

_**Hey, it's Yoshida Megumi-chan on charge! Here's the rewritten third chapter of my fanfic and I hope you enjoy it.**_

 _ **Question: I will use First POV for Anzu only, and Third POV for everyone else. Should I change Anzu's POV to third, too?**_

 _ **I love the feedback! Please tell me where I did wrong so I can fix it!**_

* * *

 **Chapter 3: Monsters X Cooking X No Good**

Anzu's POV

"Satotz-san, Satotz-san, who was first?" Mana asked in that I'm-an-oblivious-little-kid-without-a-brain that she just loves using.

"I believe you crossed the finish line simultaneously." Satotz answered, visibly not disturbed by her personality.

To be honest, I was a bit surprised. I mean, I don't get to race three people with more stamina than me every day and cross the line with them. In fact, I think everyone here has more stamina than me. I was created for sprints, not for marathons. I was lucky I was conscious.

 _Somehow, I have the annoying feeling that I am the weakest one here. To be around people sure is tough. And especially if they are better than me._ I sighed, my eyes turning to look at Killua, who didn't look even a little winded. Hah, stamina-freaks. _I'm just praying we aren't long lost twins or something. Sorry, but Mana is more than enough for me. For eternity, forever, whatever._

By the time I stopped my musings, most of the participants had already arrived on the surface. Yes, I think it is the right word for this situation, I mean, we just exited an underground tunnel, so…

 _Aren't I thinking way too much about stupid things for the past five hours? I feel like my brain is going to fry himself. Or… is it a she? How can you know your brain's gender? If I address him as a 'he', this means that I have a freaking_ male _in my head. And when the hormones kick in, wouldn't he – or I - be gay? I'm not against it, I mean, I'm a sworn fujoshi, and it's my brain, but this would have meant that my brain is a cross-dresser – even if an involuntary one - too, 'coz he's in a female's body. But if it is a 'she', then I have a_ fucking perverted woman _in my skull. But, at some time, we all become perverts, because we have to reproduce… wait a minute! What if… What if… What if my brain is a hideyoshi? Then, what gender is it supposed to be?_

Mana's POV

Mana was chatting with Gon and Killua for a while. Okay, she was mainly talking to Gon because Killua somehow just creeped her out. It reminded her of cold, stony walls, and metal cuffs she had never seen and didn't know why she thought about them at all. The super-enthusiastic voice in her head screaming for cold-blooded murder didn't help at all. And now that she mentioned it…

/ _He dared to tease Nee-chan! He's going to get closer to Nee-chan! I can't allow that filthy mortal to hurt Nee-chan!_ / Was about all the things said voice was yelling at Mana.

 _Greeeeeaat. Not only I have a homicidal voice that suspiciously sounds like me in my head, but I have a homicidal voice with a siscon (sister complex) that is yandere, too. How lovely!_

Of course, the girl hadn't forgotten the teasing her big sister did, and her face was still a bit red from the comments. And she felt a little awkward around Gon now that Anzu revealed him to be a 'suitable companion' for her. He was a great friend, yes, that much was obvious, what with his cheerily attitude and big smile. What put her off was how quickly these types of people got tricked. She couldn't risk something like that happening to Gon. But something was telling Mana that underestimating him would be a deadly mistake. Judging from the reaction he had when they first met, he wasn't squeamish at all, and when she revealed the unfortunate people's identities, he didn't see any problem with what she did, even if he commented that maybe it was a bit too much. He didn't judge her by her actions; he just took it all in stride. The girl honestly didn't know if he was stupid in general or if he hds the so-called Blue-and-Orange morality. The voice told her that it was the second – he was naïve, pure, friendly, outgoing, and incredibly _dense_ by nature, but had this screwed sense of morality that no one else understood.

Finally deciding to stop thinking about her happy-go-lucky friend, Mana turned to face her sister, fully intent on brining her in the conversation even if said sister didn't want to.

"Ne, Nee-chan, what do you think about the…" Mana stopped for a second, eyeing the thoughtful expression on her relative's face. "First Phrase …?" She trailed off, stupefied. Gon and Killua turned to the two girls, the first wearing a curious face, while the other clearly bored. "Nee-chan? Is something wrong?" Mana asked her worriedly.

Since they were little, Mana always had known that something was off in both of them. They took cold-blooded murder without a wince, torture didn't faze them, and they had fairly strange abilities, if one could call them that. Anzu was a genius in sensing dangers, be it upcoming bullets or a slip of the fingers. Nothing dangerous stayed hidden for long if she wanted to find it. While more than a little handy, this 'ability', as they called them, was thoroughly tiring. Anzu could sleep for days after she used it even for a few seconds. Mana, on the other hand, had a great deal of strategic and logic thinking. She could form out a plan in minutes if given the right information, which included psychological thinking of the target(s). What would they do if they were cornered? What will be the best course of action in their opinion? Of course, Mana's talent wasn't really useful as no one gathered the thinking pattern of her victims, but she had tried it with Anzu when she decided to prank her. Her predictions were correct down to the T.

Now, this had to mean that Mana knew most expressions on her sister's face. And what she saw now wasn't likeable at all. Anzu had the expression of someone who was deciding the correct answer of a riddle that could either save or destroy the world. Mana didn't know if she should be worried, because with all her assassin qualities, her sister thought up one of the most ridiculous problems she had ever heard, ranging from, _'Why isn't there black toothpaste'_ to _'If someone had called the left right and the right left instead, will the mazes be turned mirror-like?'_. But no matter what passed through her airheaded big sister's head, Mana just couldn't _not_ take that thinking face seriously. She was reminded of darker times, times where her sister had sat on a big chair, thinking about the next moves of their army as their queen thought with her soldiers, when her ridiculously long white hair had reached her knees and when they were both surrounded by teen-like boys and girls, all awaiting their queen's decision, inevitably leading to them in the battlefield, slaughtering people that had nothing to do with the war… Times that didn't remember well and that hadn't happened in the twelve years she had been living, that was for sure.

"Shhh. Be quiet there, I'm thinking." Anzu finally answered, her eyes tightly closed, and Mana was brought out from her musings. She tensed, waiting for an answer. "I must figure out what gender is my brain."

/ _Well that was rather anticlimactic._ /

And that was it. All seriousness left Mana's brain. In fact, she didn't think anything remained there except maybe the voice. She fell on the ground anime-style, with a sweatdrop, as Killua burst out laughing.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" he exclaimed, laughing like crazy. On the other side, Gon was wearing a puzzled expression. In a horrifying second, Mana thought he was wondering the same thing about _his_ brain. Chasing the revolting thought out, she turned towards her sister again and was fast enough to see how, opening her eyes, Anzu's look softened a fraction when she looked at the white-haired boy. Mana almost couldn't hide her mischievous smirk.

/ _Payback time._ /The voice cackled. Mana couldn't agree more.

"Nee-chan" She said slowly, as if explaining to a baby. "The word 'brain' is an 'it', I thought you knew."

"But" now Anzu was sulking. She was super-cute when she was like that, so Mana did the rational thing and took a photo of her. If – no, _when_ , because Mana knew it would happen inevitably and if it didn't she would help them, damnit, because Anzu really had to get laid (the fact that they were all twelve years old somehow escaped her notice) - Killua fell in love with her precious big sis, and deserved her and all that crap, Mana would be nice enough to give that photo to him. She absolutely refused anyone making Anzu sulk except her (and maybe Killua, but that was a different matter). "But if my brain's an 'it', then it's a hideyoshi, isn't it!" she reasoned (Mana didn't have any idea what she was talking about). "And then, what am I?" The red-eyed girl sweatdropped.

 _I can't believe this person is my big sister._

/ _Even if she is an idiot, she's a cute idiot._ / The voice remarked. Just for the record, it didn't help. Mana was creeped out. Seriously creeped out.

"You, my dear big sister, do not know what a hideyoshi is, I presume."

"I do! It's a very feminine boy!"

"No I'm sure it's not like that."

"In the dictionary it said that hideyoshi was a very feminine person with male-manly- youknowpartsandwhatnot." The last few words were mumbled, but somehow – impossibly – even Gon and Killua understood her. Gon looked moments from asking something stupid – about hideyoshis, no doubt – and Killua was trying to force his blush down. The boy glared at Anzu. Anzu glared back.

"Oh don't eat the other with your eyes, it's creepy. Get a room." Mana mumbled, desperately trying to make one of them blush so that she would know if they liked each other at least. The blush immediately disappeared off Killua's cheeks and she wanted to groan. Oh, why her matchmaking responsibilities couldn't be at least a bit more non-time-consuming?!

""I? Watching this moron?"" They asked at the same time, - if Mana was sure about one thing, it was that they didn't want the thought of eating each other with looks even cross their minds and was thoroughly amused - and then frowned at each other. ""Don't copy me!"" They said in unison, ready for a catfight, and this time Mana really groaned.

 _Aw, come on, make my work a little bit easier, please!_

/ _Awwww, old married couple argument!_ /

 _Please voice, shut up._

"Shut up for a moment please" Mana pleaded out loud this time, exhausted. Voices in her head and generally grumpy older sisters didn't cause flowers to grow out of the soil. No, they caused massive headaches. That, and she wanted to listen to the proctor so she could, well, you know, not only pass this Phase but do it _alive,_ thank you very much. "Satotz-san is saying some important things."

"Sorry, can you repeat them for me?" Her precious Nee-chan asked. Mana sighed. She really couldn't understand how they were related.

"He said we are in Numere Wetlands, and we have to be close to him if we don't want to die. Apparently, there are some creatures that can deceive us and then use us for dinner/lunch/breakfast/food/whatever." She patiently explained to her sister. Said sister closed her eyes.

"Imposters, huh…" Anzu thought out loud. "But they are weak, right? It won't be interesting to take them down. I want a real challenge."

"Then go and search for numbers 301 and 44, the needles-man is super-creepy and the fucking clown turned the arms of a gladiator in flowers." Mana remembered the scream that echoed in the tube room. It was nothing compared to what she had done, yeah, but it was freaking her out because she was doing her job. He was murdering – okay, okay, dismembering, the guy died from loss of blood – people for simply bumping into him. It wasn't normal.

/ _Yes, and a vicious voice in your head and your general assassin carrier is something to sneeze at._ /

 _Oh, look, even the voice in my head is snarking at me! What happiness!_

/ _Hey don't be rude, I have a proper name, you know!_ /

 _Oh really? Ok then let's hear it._

/ _I'm 804, nice to meet you._ /

Mana did a double take. The voice in her head had a number for a name. Like, it was in serial making? With many more voices that you caould find in supermarkets? What would the box say, 'Personal voice for these who want to be creepy not only on the outside, but on the inside, too'? Wow.

/ _I see how you are related, you both have dumb thoughts._ / 804 ignored the 'Hey!' in the background. / _Now, Hisoka._ /

Oh yes. Hisoka. If she wanted a peaceful life, then she shouldn't show Hisoka any ounce of power she could manage.

"Too… easy…" The older sister murmured, dazed, and Mana, returning to the matter at hand, promptly threw her arms in the air, exasperated.

"Well, sorry for not being able to find you a worthy challenge!"

"No problem." Anzu answered honestly and Mana's face became carefully blank.

 _I think… my sister is having some big mental problems… at least bigger than mine…_

/ _Ha! If she has what you have in her head, there is no room for competition!_ / 804 barked out a laugh, leaving a more than mildly disturbed twelve years old assassin.

Anzu's POV:

The clown we were talking about suddenly threw cards at opposite directions – some at Satotz-san and the others at a… monkey? Monkey in clothes? I deadpanned. Okay. Now I see why people say that Hunter Exams are crazy.

 _Curse my excellent nose… now I will never forget the smell of a monkey. Next time I go to the zoo, probably I'll go straight at the monkeys without noticing… and this reminds me… WHO THE FUCK IS THAT DEAD MONKEY? I really need to stop spacing out._

/ _Hah! It's one of these impostors, idiot!_ /

And then Satotz-san started running again. I sighed.

"Too… boring…" I murmured under my breath.

"Let's keep going" Mana suggested and turned to Gon. "See you at the finish line!" and we sped up, catching up with the examiner enough so that were close enough to him without Satotz-san hearing us and without us getting lost in the mist.

"Now that we're alone, could you please tell me how did you meet Gon?" I asked her suddenly. She gulped. I narrowed my eyes.

 _Fishy…_

"Ah, you see…"

 _~Flashback~_

 _Mana's POV:_

 _It was a sunny day, probably around 8AM, you know, the poetic kind, sun shining, birds singing, etc. Mana was perfectly peacefully walking around the city of Zaban, watching the stores and the people in them, searching for a challenge. The stupid voice in her head was screaming for blood and murder again, and well, who was she to refuse it something as easily attained as one or two (okay, more) kills? But, so far, none of the poor humans caught her eye, and she was starting to get annoyed. This was the city where the Hunter Exam was held, goddamnit, so why was it so hard to find someone strong to kill? Not to mention that that idiot got lost. Again. She and her guides had split up to search for Anzu and promised to meet one another in front of some shop. No, they didn't have to do that, but you try refusing the puppy-eyes look. Impossible, right?_

 _Mana decided to take a detour and to go to the exam site by the dark alleys that were here and there. Maybe there would be some thugs or some lost Hunter Exam contestants or something and they could satisfy the voice's need for spilled blood. Just before she turned to enter one of them, her gaze found a boy around her age, who was talking with a girly boy and an uncle with short temper (he was bitching out for something). Mana, the forever curious nosy little sister she was, strained her ears to catch their conversation, preferably without being noticed. Success. They were scolding the boy in green about fooling around too much (Oh! So that's why the uncle was bitching out!), and Mana thought for a second they were a couple or something. Not that it couldn't be true, but… in this moment, the boy noticed the albino and grinned at her, waving. Their eyes met._

 _Mana hurriedly walked in the alley, too concerned to think straight. The boy's eyes were a beautiful shade for brown, on the border of being hazel but not exactly. Mana mentally scolded herself. It was not the eye colour that caught her attention. It was the rather light eyes he had. His eyes weren't jaded like her sister's or like her own. They were bright and full of wonder. Mana couldn't stand looking in his eyes without becoming sick. Her stomach turned violently._

(~A flash, then a smiling young girl bumping into her, then looking up with her bright eyes and giggling _. '_ Nee-chan, have you seen my parents? _'_ Parents lying on the carpet with their necks broken in the other room _. '_ Kaa-chan said she'll make us pudding and then read us fairytales! Wanna stay and play with us, Nee-chan? _'_ ~)

 _Mana had never seen that girl after that, but she had heard rumours about her being placed in an orphanage. She also heard the horrified scream that same girl let out after she found her parents' corpses. The boy's eyes reminded of the eyes of that girl. They were the same colour, and they had the same innocence and wonder that girl (Mana had forgotten her name, how could she forget it, idiot, idiot!) had had. The internal battle was hard. He was very strong, and his strength was the voice's main argument. They would not find a stronger opponent, if there was one. And even if there was, it was more than likely that he/she would wipe the floor with them both._

/We have to kill, we have to! The monthly kill hasn't been reached, we'll get punished so badly that we'll have scars on out bones!/ _The terrified tone of the voice did little to soothe Mana's nerves. She didn't have even the slight idea what it was talking about._

Monthly kill? Punished? Why? Father never punished us!

 _But there was fear coursing through her veins, and Mana knew that if something had the voice panicking like there was no tomorrow, then it was something very, very bad._

 _The adrenaline in her system_ (well this monthly kill had given the voice some fright) _snapped her out of her trance, and she shook her head vigorously. There was no way she could attack an innocent boy, formidable opponent or not! Mana refused to admit that she hadn't attack him not because he was a kid, but because of his eyes (God, these eyes would be the death of her, she knew), and instead backed away into the alley, hiding herself from the boy's view, clutching her head with her hands and falling to her knees, desperately trying to convince the raging voice in her head to not attack the boy._

" _Oya, oya, what do we have here?" The deep voice wasn't the first indicator that someone was standing behind her, but she was made consciously aware of the presence just when she heard him. Mana opened her eyes and turned around, coming face to face with a fat, bald man with a perverted grin plastered on his face. Behind him were five or four more men, all smirking too, watching her as if deciding how much they would get when they sold her. With a rather dully surprised thought, she realized they probably_ would _try to sell her. This was Zaban City, after all, and shady business was all. "Lost your parents, girlie?" The man continued to ramble, involuntary stroking a chord in Mana's heart that was better left alone. "Don't worry, just take my hand and we'll take you to your mummy and daddy." The ugly chuckles that left half the males in the alley's mouth did nothing to ease her tension._

 _On a first glance, Anzu and Mana were as different as anyone could imagine twins living constantly with the other being. They had different likes, different dislikes, different personalities… But if there was something Mana hated as much as Anzu did, it was being underestimated. Sure it was good for strategy, and Mana was a very patient person, but mentioning 'Mummy and Daddy' made that patience evaporate instantly. With all the arguing over whether they'd kill the boy or not, both she and the voice were impossibly close to their limits and as such craved for blood more than ever._

" _I don't have parents." Mana automatically answered, bangs covering her eyes. Years of lying for….something had made it an automatic response. "But if you ask so politely, then I suppose I will take your hand." Their smirks widened, like they had just won the lottery. Mana's fingers convulsed, their veins bulging and her nails sharpening, and she ignored the biting pain in her palm as she took a sweep with her now-clawed hand, cutting off the bald man's hand clean just below the elbow._

"You did what?!" Anzu yelled, furious.

"Stop yelling, damn it!" Mana answered snappishly. It was enough that no-mouth man was listening to her story (Mana was sure to relay it in a way that only her sister could understand the full extends of her suffering or voice in her head, and it wasn't like he had heard much of it but it was better to be safe), and by now his eyes were as wide as they could get without seeming impolite.

"You killed at least five men! Even when you promised me you won't just murder random people left and right!" In any other situation, the younger sister would have responded with an equally venomous sentence, (Yeah, but if _you_ murder random people left and right it's okay, is that so?), but the examiner was close to them, and if she did, they would begin to argue about the voices. She had avoided mentioning them, instead saying 'urges' or 'bloodlust', so a smart remark wasn't worth revealing a secret as big as that.

"I _didn't_! They were rapists, or worse, kid sellers or whatever they were called, for Yin and Yang's sake! What if they had found another little girl, not a pro assassin?" Mana reasoned, instead choosing a defensive answer.

"But that doesn't mean you can massacre them, for Goodness' sake!"

"I didn't massacre _all_ of them, just the baldy…" Mana tried pouting. It never worked with her sister, something which frustrated her to no end.

"What did you do to him?" The older twin asked, sighing. Well, it may not work on her, but what was done was done. Mana didn't even think for a second that she'd escape punishment though.

 _Aw, two weeks without pudding…_

"Well" The younger twin smiled slowly. "The long or the short explanation?"

"I knew it would turn out like that…" Anzu muttered, shaking her head. "The short, please."

"Kay!" The cheerfulness of the answer did nothing to soothe the already big headache Mana was sure Anzu was getting.

 _The man screamed. Mana caught his remaining hand and clenched. The satisfying pops and cracks did nothing to calm her down. She bent his arm to the inside, not caring how many bones she broke or how strong the man screamed. They were away from the main streets, not enough not to see it but enough to be sure that no normal human would hear them. Looking at the damage she caused, Mana had to stop herself from wrinkling her nose. The bone was poking out of the skin, creating a rather gruesome image. None of the other men were moving. They hadn't run away, that was good; the only thing missing from this perfect morning was chasing some lumps of meat around._

That would definitely cause trouble, _Mana leisurely thought while kicking the man's knee, making it bend the opposite way of what was normal. Another sickening crack, another scream, more blood. The albino repeated the action with the other knee, staring impassively as the man fell on the ground, unable to stay standing (she had lifted him so she could kick the other knee and had successfully stopped him from falling on his knees when she bent his arm), the boy in green at the street completely forgotten._

 _Finally deciding to have some mercy at the poor soul, Mana stepped distractedly on his head and pushed down with surprising force. Another sickening crunch and Mana's brain registered that she was stepping into another person's brain. Ignoring her instinctive reaction -_ /Ew, ew, we're stepping into that grey slimy thing, get our foot and shoe out of that disgusting heap of nothing!/ Oh, shut up voice. What are you, a girl? – _Mana turned around, facing the other men. They were still frozen in fear and – Mana noted, amused – were afraid to even breathe._

" _So?" The girl asked, some of her amusement sliding in her voice. "Who's next?" They all backed off, trembling. She was sure they would soon push each other at her, pleading to kill everyone else but them._

" _You mustn't do that." A voice behind Mana suddenly said, and she held the urge to twitch from the disappointed tone. Instead she turned to see – to her utter horror - the boy in green from earlier, with his friends. The old man was looking at her like he was in front of some berserk monster, and the other, the blond one, was trying to feign calm exterior. But the boy in green – it was starting to be a bit annoying calling him that - just stood in front of Mana, unfazed by the corpse in her feet, nor by the blood on her clothes and face._

" _Why not?" Mana finally asked. "If I let them be, they would do even worse things to innocent people. These here at least are killers, so what does it concerns you if they're dead?" An innocent question, even if it was a lie, somehow. They weren't killers, but Mana knew from experience (not her own, thank Goodness) that there were a lot of things worse than death._

" _Either way, you mustn't do this." The boy repeated stubbornly. It annoyed both Mana and the voice. Who was this boy, trying to lecture her when she refrained from killing him and his useless friends? He continued, unaffected by her scathing glare. "If someone else found you, you might be arrested, you know."_

Oh, so you are concerned for me, huh? And what's it for you what I'm doing?

" _And you didn't think I'm the same as them, did you? Well if you didn't then let me tell you something. I kill because I want to, and when I want to. If they jail me – which is near impossible, I might add - they have the right to." Oh yes, the younger twin was really annoyed. She didn't care if it was irrational, but she had risked her sanity – or what was left from it – to save the boy from the wrath/bloodlust/kill need of the voice in her head, which gave her a massive headache and major negative emotions control, and he just appeared in a dark alley, reprimanding her?_

/He just served himself to us on a silver plate!/ _The voice cackled._

" _But at least, if you want to kill them, do it fast. No one deserves a death like this." He reasoned, acting as if she had refused to put on her warmest sweater in the winter before going outside. Mana's eyes darkened considerably as she was snapped out from the irrational rage she was in, thoughts fleeting to one little girl with warm brown eyes._

" _Oh trust me, I know…" Then she turned to the men and within seconds they all fell on the ground, dead. The albino turned her hand like it was ready for a handshake. The boy gave her a big, warm smile and extended his hand, taking it as if the blood wasn't there._

" _I'm Gon Freecss and I'm twelve! What is your name?" he said. The girl looked at him strangely._

" _Are you not afraid of me?" She asked him._

" _Why should I be?" he answered with a question, titling his head on one side. Mana burst out laughing._

" _I tortured a man to death in front of your very eyes and now you ask for my name! You really are something, I'm sure I've never encountered more interesting person than you before! I'm Mana Neonville and I'm twelve too. Nice to meet you!"_

" _Let's search for clothes, Mana-san!" Gon suggested, taking in her appearance. Mana nodded shyly (But if anyone told Anzu that she would have their head, just so you know!). The white dress her sister had bought for her was already soaking wet from the blood of those men and was turning a rather interesting shade of crimson. Not to mention it was sticking to her body in an uncomfortable way. Next time, when she killed in a frilly dress, she would remember to take the most bloodless variant. "Ah, by the way, this is Kurapika" Gon pointed to the girly boy, "And this is Leorio" the man in suit waved nervously. Oh. She had forgotten about them, if she had to be honest._

" _Don't worry, Rioleo, I'm not going to kill you. It will be too easy." Mana tried to comfort him._

 _Now, there is one thing worth mentioning here: despite all the smiles and sunshine Mana_ pretended _she was made of, the assassin was severely lacking experience in the comfort relationship zone. In fact, she was severely lacking experience in_ every _relationship zone. While she was not proud of her microscopic social skills, what she_ was _proud of was the simple fact that she was better than Anzu in that particular field. Meaning, simplified, that she had no idea how to deal with fear, as she was used to inflicting it, not making it go away. So, logically, she tried for the assassin method: reassure the person in front of you they were not a target, then lighten the mood._

/Idiot! He's not an assassin, you don't know what he's thinking, you can't just rely on sheer dumb luck!/ _Ah, Mana was wondering when would the voice barge in, as it was strangely silent when she was talking with Gon. Still, it said something logical, and the albino was pretty stressed. If things came down to that, she would have to kill them all. Mana didn't want to kill the boy._

 _Actually, by some divine luck, help or something otherwise absent from Mana's logical world, the absurd comforting words worked._

" _My name is Leorio! LE-O-RI-O!" 'Leorio' yelled at her. Mana didn't even blink, ignoring him and instead turning to Gon._

" _Let's hurry up or we will be late!" She urged him. He nodded enthusiastically in response and the four exited the alley together._

"And this was the story." Mana finished. Anzu was shaking her head again, no doubt thanking some divine force that Mana had made some friends, even by a very ridiculous method, and Satotz-san was looking at them with both interest and… what was that, maybe pity? Nah, not pity. He was interested, however. That was not good. Well at least he hadn't pitied them. They both hated when people began to think something along the lines of: _The poor girl/s, she/they sure had a terrifying childhood._ Even if it couldn't be helped. Yes, their childhood wasn't one of the best. But, hello, professional assassin! Don't people know how cool that is?

The rest of the test was just running (talk about boring!) and Mana was half sleeping, half murmuring how boring this test was. This was another of their common points – neither of them liked boring things.

/ _Your sister's getting tired~_ / 804 sang gleefully. The albino turned to her hooded sister.

"You okay?" She asked her. Anzu nodded, too concentrated keeping her breathing even to answer vocally. "Are you tired?" she shook her head.

/ _She's in denial~!_ /

 _Let's hope getting tired will be the only thing she'll be in denial for._

/ _Dream on, girlie. That's a full-pledged Tsundere you've got._ /

 _Oh goodie._

"Not used to be around so much people yet?" this time Mana got a nod.

 _Well at least she admits that._

/ _Getting her to admit that she likes Killua is going to be so hard._ /

 _I was left with the impression you didn't want them together._

/ _What? No, of course not. I want them together, that girl definitely needs to get laid. But well, one of us has to play the overprotective sister, right?_ /

 _You will find out I am capable of playing both matchmaker and overprotective sister, 804._

/ _Waiting in anticipation, my dearest._ /

… _Creepy._

"Well, good luck. And don't faint." As Mana said that, a roar sounded from her sister's side, distracting Anzu from the fierce glare she was giving her younger twin. Oh, they both knew it was there for at least ten or so seconds. The 'it' in question was a green gorilla.

 _Do I want to know how a green gorilla got here?_

/ _Probably not._ /

 _Knew it._

The green gorilla was closing on them. Mana tensed and turned to face Anzu.

"Leave it to-" She tried to say, but the reckless older twin was already running at it with enthusiasm Mana hadn't seen in years. "me?" She continued her sentence regardless as Anzu jump-tackled the gorilla and begun wrestling with it. Yes, it was amusing, very much so. That didn't mean Mana wasn't annoyed. She was thankful no one but the proctor was around, and he was watching the brawl with amused expression. She was sure that if Satotz-san had a mouth, its edges would be twitching upwards.

 _Yep, my sister is completely insane._

Finally, Anzu grew bored of playing with the gorilla and killed it easily, with a well-placed chop at the neck. The animal fell limp on the ground – causing a rather massive ground-shake, if Mana was allowed to comment - and the older sibling ran back to her sister, beaming, if a little bit ruffled. Mana pouted (again, it was of no use).

"I wanted to do it!" She whined.

"No way!" Anzu protested, small grin in place. "You already had your fun this morning!"

"Yes but I didn't wrestle a gorilla!"

"Well then maybe you should find yourself another gorilla!"

Mana 'hmp'ed and turned her back to Anzu.

 _How did I manage that while running?_

The voice cackled.

 _Nevermind._

 _ **SPECIALIST NEN TYPE: BENDING TIME AND SPACE! TIME SKIIIIP!**_

Anzu's POV:

After a few more agonizing minutes of running (I told you I was made for sprints, not marathons), we finally arrived in front of some steel gates that were (obviously) the entrance for the next exam. I looked inside just to be greeted by lines of kitchen sets. Hiding my wince but not my gulp, I looked at Mana.

"Say, imouto" I started carefully. "How good can you cook?" She titled her head in confusion, no doubt praying to whatever divine person there is that we were not required to do what I implied we had to do for the Second Phase. I motioned inside the fence with my head, fully aware of the panic I would throw my sister in. When she followed my gaze, she shivered from head to toe, trying to sink into the ground. She mouthed to me ' _Not cooking!_ ' with a horrified face and I sighed.

"Seriously? You are _that_ bad?" I asked her, not believing my eyes. Well, okay, I believed my eyes. That didn't mean I wasn't surprised. Mana usually faced her fears with dignity, even if she was terrified. Obviously, now she was more than just terrified.

Truth is, Mana had something like a bad-luck cloud hanging above her when she was cooking. Terrible accidents happened to everyone in radius of twenty feet of her. Whether the cooker (or the cook; but that's another long story) would explode, or she would bring the food to life (I'm still wondering how the rice got feet and just who taught it to tap-dance – I won't ask about the flirting, I'm still freaked out by the fact that a rice ball dancing tap on the table handed me a rose and kissed my hand and then _winked at me_ ), but, the fact stands proud and tall from the time she was first let in the kitchen: Mana just can't cook.

Not that I was better - okay, scratch that, I'm sure you know that _everyone_ is better in cooking than Mana (if not convinced, read the afore-mentioned examples again). Even _I_ , who couldn't think of the kitchen knife as nothing more but weapon for killing over a decade even with someone showing me that one can, indeed, do more things with knifes than just killing, can do a steak. Not that it is more delicious than raw meat, mind you, and I don't think that, even though it's cooked, it won't give you _even worse cramps_ than from eating raw meat, but at least I could cook in the loosest sense of the word. But Mana…

The gates opened almost menacingly – shivers ran down my back, I don't think I'm going to get out from this alive - and we entered the yard. I was looking around curiously, the utensils looked professional enough.

/ _Because you are a professional kitchen utensil recognizer, right?_ /

 _Oh shut up, voice._

Suddenly, a gong-like sound was heard and we faced the two Hunters, who introduced themselves as Buhara and Menchi, Gourmet Hunters. I was actually surprised when they said it with pride. I mean, most people would make fun of them. Err… They did. Stupid people. Most of the examinees were too dumb to understand their pride, including Killua. I personally think it is great to be proud for that, I mean, to be Gourmet Hunter you must have the courage, the knowledge, and the power to hunt. And let's not forget the guts to say that with pride to anyone despite the 95% chance they'll laugh at you. These two are amazing! Not that anyone beside me and my sister understood it. Oh, maybe someone may, after all, a person can hope.

We followed the gang to hunt the pigs that were requested for passing. I went on autopilot and couldn't really remember what I did. The next thing I knew, I was in front of the judges, with roasted pig. Before Buhara could eat it, I grabbed his hand, smacking it away. Whew, it was close.

"I won't eat this if I was you." I warned him and he raised his eyebrows.

"Why not?" Menchi asked, slightly irritated.

"I can't cook so I can't guarantee this isn't poisonous" I answered. To my surprise, she smirked.

"You are the second one who says this today."

"But who could- oh, it was Mana, a girl with red eyes and white hair, right?" I asked them.

"You know her?" Buhara asked me.

"Yes, she is my twin. You're lucky you didn't eat her pig. Fortunately, I didn't receive her poor cooking skills. I'm better in cooking. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean this isn't dangerous."

"Hm. You two are amusing, to say at the least. I heard a rumor that she murdered five people in Zaban city, is that true?" Menchi questioned. I deadpanned. The voice groaned.

"That cow, not even being able to hide the corpses… Sometimes I really wonder if we are related." I murmured to myself. Honestly, what's hard to understand in this simple command: 'Clean up your damn mess!'?! The two of them had a hard time not to laugh at my enraged expression as I muttered, fuming, about stupid sisters not cleaning after killing like a perfectly civilized assassin would. So, another not-squemishy group of people. Okay then. Why not.

"So? You fail, you know." Menchi suddenly said, and I remembered that we were, in fact, participating in the Second Phase of the Hunter Exam. Oops, spaced out again. Please let my rant at least please the angry Gourmet Hunter!

"It doesn't matter, does it? In the end, no one will pass. All the fools do is to roast the pig, so there is no difference. If I was you, I could puke from eating only roasted. Don't know how you two are doing it." And I went down the stairs of the podium, crossing my fingers that it'll wor and, leaving two dumbfounded Gourmet Hunters behind me. Killua, Mana and the others walked over to me.

"Fail, right?" Mana asked.

 _No need to rub it, sister mine._

/ _Totally agree._ /

"I don't want to hear it from you." I snapped.

"We all fail, then." Killua concluded. I nodded, trying to look miserable. I'm not sure it worked. Then some wrestler or something started to crush sinks and yell that he had come here to become a Hunter, not cook. It was a boring temper explosion, so I didn't listen to him really. But well, I'm never one to pass up an opportunity like this to tease someone, isn't that right?

"Woah there, this is expensive, ya know" I whispered, feigning surprise, and Killua, Gon and Mana started laughing.

 _It's not that funny, you know._

Then Buhara literally _crushed_ the man in one of the stone walls that surrounded our cooking stadium and part of it crumbled from the strength of the hit. I deadpanned again, for the N-tieth time. And it was just noon! Imagine how many times I would do that until the end of the Hunter Exam. Exceeding one hundred, I'm sure.

"God, these people have the walls for nothing nowadays." Aaand, another joke brought to you by Anzu express! Hope you like it because I sure didn't. Maybe I was the only one, because the three twelve-years old started laughing hysterically at my comment (again, it wasn't _that_ funny!) and I just sweatdropped.

 _What a crazy bunch of people… But they sure are a bunch of cuties… Which reminds me… I have to bring Gon and Mana together… these two won't recognize love even if it bites them… and I can tell just by looking at them that at the moment it is literally_ devouring _them. People sure are dense…_

By this time (Sorry, I spaced out again), a _Gramps_ fell from an airship and decided to let us re-do the test.

 _Is it just me, or are more people soon expected to fall from the sky?_

* * *

 _ **That was the longest chapter I have ever written. It was simply exhausting. Anyway, hope you like it and don't forget to tell me what you think!**_


	5. Chapter 4: Cliffjumping X Eggs X Bonds

_**Hey there! It's Yoshida Megumi-chan on charge! It's been too long since I last updated (about half an year). I started learning German and let me tell you it's not fun. I have to write around sixty words a day and remember them and… For any Germans reading this, your language is awesome no matter how many times I've thought about strangling my German teacher (she's awesome too).**_

 _ **Thank all of you who reviewed, favorited, followed and read this story – it means the world to me to see that you like what I create.**_

 _WARNING!_ _ **I have updated the prologue, and there is an important AN there, so I would be grateful if you go back and read it. All chapters in First POV will be eventually revamped, but it will take time.**_

 _ **By the way, for all those who giggle at my Lapis – she won't be paired up with anyone from this fandom. Those who thought she would be with Kurapika/Hisoka/Illumi/someone else from the HxH fandom, I am sorry to disappoint you.**_

 _ **Now that everything is out of the way, I hope you enjoy this!**_

* * *

 _ **Cliff Jumping X Eggs X Building bonds**_

Mana's POV:

For the protocol, if someone falls from an air-balloon and tells you that you are allowed to retake your text, DON'T BELIEVE HIM. It's just fated to be, like, a thousand times harder than the one you failed.

Anzu had just told Mana she was proud of her for not blowing anything up (she did, actually, make a few things explode – she put the pig on that stick to roast it and suddenly all ovens in her line violently combusted, but her sister was so bored, it seemed, that instead of just going on autopilot, she literally fell asleep while cooking, so yeah, of course a few explosions wouldn't wake her up) when that gramps with gravity-defying hair fell out of nowhere like a meteorite, grinning like a fool.

And all that brought them to this situation-

"There is simply no way I'm gonna do it!" Mana nearly squealed with fright (It wasn't a squeal, you hear? Mana doesn't squeal like some pissy-pants girl, no, she doesn't).

Okay, time to rewind things a little. The examinees were on top of mountain Split in Half ( _Wow, what an original name, it doesn't state the obvious, of course it doesn't_ ) and the examiner for the Second Phrase, Menchi, decided that the appropriate remake test for that cooking failure was to jump from a cliff to get some eggs. Simple, right? And Mana must be thankful, because now she had a second chance to prove that she's worth her salt and can become a Hunter and at least it's not cooking or drawing ( _No talent in that either_ ) and she can actually do it because it's just jumping down from this like insanely high cliff with a river on the bottom and an almost ninety-nine percent chance of dying while doing that and-…

 _Wait, time out, I forgot where I was… Er, the last thing I remember saying… Cliff jumping, chance of dying… Aw man, I can't remember the whole sentence…_

/ _Ahahaha, loser…_ /

 _Hey!_

/ _What? It's not my fault you rile up so easily and begin using these cow-behind-long sentences no one can remember._ /

 _I don't rile up that easily!_

/ _Yeah, you don't. It's only when you're scared that you do things like these._ /

 _Okay, oh-everything-knowing-voice-in-my-head, then please tell me why exactly I have a – irrational, as far as I know – fear of heights._

/ _Oho, okay then. I will._ / The voice turned serious and Mana was already regretting asking.

 _She remembers the sensation of the wind blowing in her face, the short moments where she feels weightless, but the ground is near, she can see the cold, hard marble tiles under her, travelling closer and closer…_

* * *

Am I… falling down?

…

Why?

 _She sees blood pooling down, staining the white stone, and a small, pale hand, and then gravitations finally brings her too low and the floor comes too near, and she crashes into it, body protesting, bones shattering with ear-splitting crunch, digging and tearing into lean muscles and soft organs, and she can see no more, but she can feel, can feel the life draining out of her, just like her blood that's spilling on the ground, but it's too slow and she's left with only pain as company, and the pain is too much, and if her windpipe wasn't already destroyed and she wasn't uselessly struggling for air she might have screamed, and she can hear, can hear the laughter, hysterical and mad, and she thinks-_

Who is 'she'?

* * *

Mana found herself returning to reality in a state of panic, because suddenly she couldn't breathe and it was the same as before and-

/ _Breathe, idiot. In, out. In, out. Yes, just like that, like every healthy living thing can. Don't be afraid._ /

The albino took a shaky breath, savoring the way her lungs were filled with air, then let it go and did it again. She didn't know, nor care, about anything other than breathing. It was such a simple necessity for living, one so easily forgotten, yet so precious to her now, just because of that- of that-

 _What was that?_ Mana asked, feeling a fair share of fear of the answer.

/ _That,_ / the voice responded, / _was the reason you fear heights._ /

 _I don't remember it happening in these twelve years of my life._

/ _Well, duh, that's because- no, wait, I won't tell._ / ( _Yeah well way to be annoying_ ) She only got more curious.

 _Oh, is it connected to these strange flashes of my sister with long hair and me, debating something about attacks and wars and-_

/ _No._ / Mana was starting to feel really annoyed ( _Say it with straight sentences, like A means B, not like A is south from F and G is 5034 km from Q so with that information you are now ready to find out with what colour is written Z_ ).

 _Why not? I mean, both of them are my memories, right?_

/ _No, they're not._ / ( _Please stop being cryptic!_ )

 _What do you mean?_

/ _Exactly what I said._ /

 _Okay, mysterious-voice-in-my-head, please explain._

/ _That falling thingy was your memory. The War Council are mine._ / ( _More information I have no use of but is there to distract me_ )

 _We have separate memories? And what's with that singular, shouldn't it be plural?_

/ _Whatever, chipmunk, just don't ask- LOOK OUT!_ /

 _Wha-?_

She felt a tad more weightless than she was supposed to be. Wind hit her face.

 _Wi…nd?_

Under her there was mist pooling lazily, hiding the water and rocks underneath it.

 _Water?... Rocks?_

With horror, Mana realized she was falling, the river under her suddenly starting to grow larger. She could only stay still, mouth open in shock, listening to the yells of her friends as she was tumbling down to certain death.

"Mana! Hang on the spider-eagle webs!" Anzu shouted. Her voice was shaking with fright, and the younger twin, somewhat hazy through the terror, thought that it wasn't _Anzu_ who had to be afraid.

/ _Forget about who's turn is it to be scared, just do what she says!_ /

Mana tentatively reached a trembling hand out, struggling not to curl into a ball and weep. The webs (and ground, an equally-scared part of her mind whispered) were drawing closer. She had only one chance, and if she failed then-

 _I'm scared,_ she cried out in her mind, but there wasn't a trace from the voice. _804? Where are you? 804!_

Silence.

804 wasn't there.

Mana was all alone.

Mana was all alone the first time she fell, too.

 _Someone help me, please!_

Her fingers brushed the sturdy spider web, unable to get a good grip, still paralyzed by fright. She plummeted to the ground, stiff from shock and horror.

Then she felt something clasping her wrist, and she stopped falling.

Mana needed another few seconds to realize that someone - impossibly - had saved her. When she finally had the courage to look up, she was instantly met with big, brownish-hazel eyes and a concerned smile.

"Are you okay?" Gon asked, surprisingly quietly. The albino could only nod, not trusting her voice right now. A full-blown grin appeared on his face, even as his shoulders sagged with relief. "I'm so glad!"

The twin was brainstorming a way to thank Gon for him saving her life, when she heard several whooshes and looked up only to be met with the sight of maybe about twenty or so examinees jumping down. Her previous reluctance to talk completely forgotten, she turned her shocked face towards her savior.

"What are they doing?" Gon grinned down at her.

"They are trying to pass the Second Exam, just like you and me." Ignoring the – surely unintentional – jab ( _you could have said 'us', not 'me and you'!_ ) which pretty much stated that they weren't on equal grounds, she continued questioning him.

"But- I mean, if all of them try to get eggs from this place, isn't there the very real danger of there not being enough of them for everyone? Not to mention that there isn't a guarantee that the spider web can handle all of our weight and-" She looked up, "They surely are falling slowly. Aren't they supposed to be immediately here because they are heavier than us?"

Gon shrugged, then winced and started apologizing profusely when Mana shrieked and tightened her grip on his hand.

"I'm really sorry, I forgot and-"

"Gon, shut up, please."

"Okay." Was it possible to respond to a 'shut up' with such a sunny smile? The albino was considering the possibility that he was not a human _very_ seriously now.

"Now answer my question."

"Well, if you haven't realized, you fell a really long way down. Not to mention that there _are_ spider webs higher than ours, so…" One of the examinees caught a web up and left from the two kids. The girl blinked, remembering how tiny the participants of the exam looked when she saw them jump.

"Wait. If I had fallen down such a considerable amount, then how in the world did you manage to catch me when you realized I missed the spider web?" Gon laughed sheepishly, but she could hear the uneasiness behind it. "How?" she pressed. He sighed, a little ashamed.

"Well I jumped right after you, of course."

Mana's jaw fell open.

"Wha-What do you mean you jumped right after me? Like, you jumped down the moment you saw me falling?" That wasn't possibl-

"Well, yes, basically." And she stands corrected.

 _Wait. Stop for a moment please._

 _ **WHAT.**_ / _ **WHAT**_ _._ / 804 appeared out of nowhere, words flat, just in time to speak in unison with the other.

"Wha-But-How- _Why?_ " Mana was too flabbergasted to think straight, let alone form an intelligible sentence or notice the extra presence in her head.

"Because you were falling down. Do I need another reason?" He looked at her, no, _stared at her_ , challenging her to contradict him. It was intimidating, even more so when it was coming from _Gon_. No, it didn't stop her from trying.

"Because I was- You jumped down a cliff because someone was falling down, fully aware you could both die? When you know what you want to do with your life, you have yet to see so much more things? You'd throw away your life as if it was nothing? _Who does that?_ " The younger sister ranted angrily, and rather disbelievingly. Gon just looked calmly at her, which was not at all Gon-like, and was something she would research for, to find out these strange mood swings he was having, and answered simply.

"I do."

Mana was completely floored. There was no hesitation, no doubt, like he was stating a well-known fact. It was certainty that came from knowing something that cannot be explained, that just _is_ – like a small kid saying he was a boy, or like Mana saying she was an assassin.

"Okay," She agreed in a small voice, unwilling and unable to continue arguing with him, "okay."

They waited in comfortable silence for their friends. First came Killua, after a second Anzu was beside him and studying Mana, trying to see if anything was wrong. The red-eyed girl waved her hand away, even if just a little, to show that she was fine. Gon holding her or not, she was not risking a second fall, and she was finally sure she wasn't going to throw up, which, too, was a plus. It seemed the boy was good not only in saving, but in distracting her, too.

Mana was brought out from her musings when she heard someone calling her, and looked up to face her sister.

"You okay? It's rare for you to space out like that." She asked, concerned.

"Yeah, just thinking." Mana answered automatically. Anzu frowned.

"About what?" The younger one glanced up at Gon, then shrugged, immediately regretting the motion when she swung a little. Okay. No shrugging then.

"About things."

"What things?" It was obvious that she had received the hint, but still pressed for answers. Big sisters really were-

 _Annoying._

"About you begging me for mercy. And then about a certain shota-liking pedo-clown." It was the first thing that came to her mind, and the raised eyebrows of her blood above her were the confirmation that it was anything but a plausible excuse.

"Oh. Okay then." Anzu answered, amused, and it was made clear to Mana that her big sister, while certainly not letting her out of the loop, was going to humor her for a while.

However, Mana was privy to one big secret that was not known by anyone else… And that big secret was that her twin was, actually, very frustrated because she couldn't read her! Surprised? Yes, Mana's pokerface was perfect. She loved her pokerface. She wanted to marry her pokerface.

/ _But if you marry your pokerface, what happens to Gon_ /

 _Hm yeah, I mean I want to marry Gon too what should I do- WAIT REWIND PLEASE, WHEN DID YOU GET BACK, WHAT ARE THESE STRANGE THINGS YOU'RE MAKING ME REPEAT AND YOU DO KNOW I'M EXTREMELY MAD AT YOU FOR LEAVING ME BEHIND LIKE THAT WHEN I WAS FALLING DOWN THE HAMMING CLIFF DO YOU KNOW HOW SCARED I WAS, IN ALL THE SALAMI'S NAME-_

/ _Dude please calm down, what's with all these Caps Lock, chill! Author-san, please get your little finger away from the CAPS LOCK oh you did it again HAHA-_ /

 _Yes, I am the one who needs calming, of course. And you're the one who's speaking with Author-san and breaking the Fourth Wall, but it's not like it's illegal or something, of course it isn't-_

/ _You're not my mother, I can do as many illegal things as I want because I'm awesome!_ /

 _Wow, rebel stage much?_

/ _Yes, much, and this rebel-stage voice in your head wants to know why you would marry your pokerface when you have a perfectly nice chance with Gon._ /

 _Please, LEAVE MY WEDDING PLANS ALONE! I promise that if you are a good voice and don't hinder me, I will find you a nice voice-in-head to marry._

/ _I'll hold you onto that. Try not to let me down._ /

 _Like you did, you mean._

/ _Me? What did I do?_ /

 _Don't play stupid, you left me alone while I was falling to my death, petrified from fear! I mean, how is that even possible? You're in my head, you can't go anywhere! I want an explanation and I want a good one! NOW!_

/ _That was because…_ /

 _Because…_

804 mumbled something incoherently. If it was possible to deadpan in someone's mind, then Mana was doing it.

 _You're in my head, how can I not hear what you're saying if we are one and the same? What's this, a conversation in the physical world?_

/ _I WAS SCARED TOO, OKAY!_ / 804 practically screamed. Mana winced.

 _That volume… Wait, you were scared? Like, you were scared just like me?_

/ _Yes, I was scared just like you._ / The albino could practically _hear_ the eyeroll. / _No matter what you might think, I died that time, too._ / 804's, err, voice, was practically emotionlessly flat by now. Mana decided to leave the subject be.

Instead, she returned to the physical world (that is to say, she stopped paying attention to her mind) and looked around, eager to get this done before a second fall happened… when her eyes found Hisoka.

It was disgusting. The looks he was throwing Gon were too much. Mana shuddered.

/ _Pedophile alert!_ / 804 giggled out.

 _Why are you saying it so cheerfully!?_

Hisoka licked his lips, his expression becoming even more elated.

/ _He looks like he's jerking off to Gon._ /

 _Please, don't plant images like these in my head. I don't really want to know what that clown is thinking about when he's looking like that._

/ _Make us two._ /

"So, How will you do it?" Anzu inquired, finally snapping Mana away from her Hisoka musings.

"How will I do what?" The whitehead asked, cocking her head in her sister's general direction.

"How will you make me beg for mercy, duh."

Oh. Right. She had said she was thinking about that, right?

 _What to do, what to do…._

/ _Look around, I'm sure we'll think of something fun._ /

Mana involuntary shifted her eyes to Killua, who was hanging beside Anzu.

/ _Oooh, target in range._ /

 _I found it, kufu._

/ _… Creepy._ /

 _Double returning it to you, my dearest._

/ _You're really beginning to scare me._ /

 _It was your idea._

/… _It was._ /

"Yes, really, how am I going to do it?" Mana pretended to muse, then shrugged. "Well I suppose I have no other choice than to lock you and Killua in a room, with no way out, for indefinite time." She continued. The two mentioned kids' eyes widened in shock.

"Why are you punishing me, too?!" Killua whined. "I didn't do anything!" Anzu nodded fervently.

"Yes, he's not at fault, look at what a good boy he is, no sense in making him do something he clearly doesn't want to, right?"

"If I didn't know you were saying this only because you don't want to be locked in a room with me for two days, I would be flattered and disgusted at the same time." Killua intoned from beside the rambling twin. Anzu glared.

"By doing this I am automatically saving your ass too, so could you at least pretend to agree with me so we can avoid this situation?"

"Wow, now that I think about it, you are giving away your dignity just to save me. Do you, by chance, have a crush on me, I wonder~?"

"I am wondering whether I should poke fun at you for even imagining that I may wish to be with someone like _you_ , for admitting on imagining me with you, or just to get angry and beat you up. Please choose whichever you like best."

Killua gaped, blushing the slightest bit.

Mana cackled.

 _Oh My Vegetables, if they marry it's going to be so fun hearing them arguing about silly things._

/ _Their life together is going to be sixty percent gold mine for sitcoms with married couples._ /

 _I'm glad we're on the same page about them, 804._

/ _Yeah… But I'm still killing him if he does something I don't like to her._ /

 _That's a given._

Anzu and Killua were still arguing when Mana returned from her conversation, which was cute and annoying at the same time.

 _Oh please, I may love my (new) matchmaker job, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to get along! Please!_

/ _Yes, plead twice, it may actually work!_ /

 _Voice, don't get sarcastic on me and just shut up._

"Well, I like what I hear. I may install an eavesdropping bug just to hear all your arguments." Mana sang, grinning. Her grip on Gon's hand relaxed just a bit.

"You won't dare!" Anzu yelled. Mana smiled a cat smile. Killua opened his mouth to add his opinion.

Then there was a _snap_ and the web they were hanging on started tearing apart.

 _Put a smelly onion on it and make me eat it…_ Mana cursed in her head, tightening her grip on Gon's hand immediately.

"Uh-Oh" Killua muttered and Anzu licked her lips nervously. Somewhere next to them, Leorio was panicking and Kurapika was consoling him. He was saying something about Gon knowing when to jump.

The younger twin glanced up, only to be met with a sunny smile.

"Don't be afraid, Mana." There was a painful edge to his voice, the hand he was holding onto the web was slightly trembling and Mana just noticed how he stopped holding her hand as tightly. She was gripping his hand too hard, and he couldn't hold her from falling forever, no matter how strong he was. She had half a mind to just let go, because she couldn't bear seeing him straining to resist gravity this much just to save her.

"Gon, when do we jump?" Kurapika asked, successfully stopping her grim train of thoughts. The red-eyed girl bit her lip.

 _Please, let it be soon._

"Just a little bit" Gon answered, glancing down again. His eyes locked with red ones. "I won't let you fall." He promised. Mana wanted to believe in him. In fact, she was just starting to think they may get out of this situation. Then someone jumped with a scream and fell into the mist. There wasn't a splash. Mana's ears were sharp enough to hear the bones breaking and the wet sound of meat falling on something hard. The queasiness appeared again, she could feel the bile climbing up in her throat.

Her grip on Gon's hand weakened and she slipped down a millimeter. Instantly the boy was holding her tighter, smiling down at her the whole time, as if he wasn't straining to hold them up.

 _This will end._

The albino completely stopped holding Gon's hand, his grip on her was the only thing that prevented her fall. He was too concentrated on the wind that was supposed to come to notice.

"NOW!" Gon suddenly yelled. Mana wretched her hand away from his, and plummeted down the air for the second time, just as scared as before, ignoring Anzu's gasp. However, this time, she wasn't paralyzed in fear.

 _I would be made eat onion before I make someone strain just to keep me safe!_

/ _That's the spirit._ / Mana could practically hear the smile.

She reached out with her hands, successfully grabbing an egg, and waited for the wind to blow her up, stubbornly fighting with the panic.

 _Gon said so._ And she calmed down surprisingly fast.

/ _I have to say I find it quite bothering that you were able to fight off our worst fear just because you believed in the words of a whacky twelve years old human boy._ /

 _Make us two. However,_ the albino felt her lips curl up in a smile, _you have to admit he is really talented at making others believe him without second thought._

/ _I'm not really sure that's a good trait._ /

 _Yeah, me neither. I mean, look at what he did to us, right?_

/ _He made us like him like more than a friend should (I think)._ /

 _You're admitting it so soon?_

/ _Yeah, why not? It's gonna create problems for us if we don't admit it to ourselves. Then, well, no one ever said about telling him._ /

 _Hm… Sound logic._

The wind came just at the right moment and the people were all sent flying in the air, now far from the ground (and more than possible death).

 _Flying is more fun than I initially thought._

/ _Yeah, it is._ /

 _How do we get off the wind._

/ _Um… Oops?_ /

 _SERIOUSLY?!_

/ _Well excuse me I have never been in this kind of situation, just jump from the wind to the ground or we're both gonna die (again)!_ /

 _Jump from the wind to the ground… Yeah, because that makes so much sense._

Mana easily jumped from the air and landed on her two feet without any problem (she pointedly ignored their shaking or the sweat running down her neck and back, which _definitely_ wasn't from fright, _definitely_ ).

/ _Well it may make no sense, but it worked at least, didn't it?!_ /

 _I'm really starting to reconsider entering this exam. I mean, it's, like, the first day and we've defied just how many physic laws again?_

"Was it so bad?" Anzu walked up to Mana with an egg in hand, robbing 804 of chance to answer and effectively cutting through the mental conversation she had. The younger one raised an eyebrow. "The falling, I mean. You looked like you were going to vomit."

"Yeah, I was seriously going to be sick. Lucky there was no one underneath me, right?" Mana finished with an awkward laugh.

Anzu rolled her eyes, throwing her own egg around while humming. Buhara and Menchi called all participants to come around them, and took all eggs. Anzu pouted. Mana had half a mind to snap a photo of her.

 _Since I have a phone, the only thing I think about doing with it is snapping photos of my sister. I'm pretty sure that's not how they are supposed to be used. I think I should have bought a_ _camera_ _!_

* * *

Arisu's POV:

Anzu was gazing at the sky, keeping her now boiled egg firmly in her hands.

"Hey, Nee-chan" Mana tapped her shoulder and pointed to the object in her sister's hands. "You know we will eat the eggs we caught, right?"

"What?" Anzu turned around, startled, then huffed and threw the egg a disgusted glare. "There is no way I'm gonna eat this trash."

Just to prove this, she held the egg maximally away from herself, not even willing to glance at it.

/ _Ugh. What are we gonna do with it._ /

 _We can't throw it away, it's food. Food shouldn't be thrown away, no matter how much one hates it._

/ _Can't we at least annoy someone with it?_ /

Suddenly, a bulb metaphorically appeared above Anzu's head and she had to bite her tongue to stop the evil laughter from escaping. She skipped down to Killua, beaming.

/ _Is it just me or did you go even_ more _nuts?_ /

"Hey, Old Gramps!" The girl yelled, ignoring the voice, and Killua robotically turned his head to face her, his expression a great imitation of a thug face.

"Huh?!"

Anzu paid no attention to his irritation and ruffled his hair, while balancing on her toes to keep them even.

 _Why the only thing that differed between us was the height?_

/ _Forget the height, did you feel his_ hair _? It was so soft! And he's a boy! Forget being sexist for saying boys can't have soft hair, why can't_ ours _be like that?!_ /

"Good boy, you finally learned your name!" The older twin praised him, grinning stupidly wide for someone usually serious.

/ _OMG, you grinning? Aliens are coming this way now!_ /

Killua's cheeks reddened and he 'hmp'ed slightly, turning away.

 _He's just like-_

/ _A cat._ /

 _Yes._

Anzu continued patting his head and he finally had enough, pushing her hand away and scowling.

"Gosh, stop already!" Anzu pouted ( _That's a lot of lost fun!_ ) and the white-haired boy rolled his eyes. "So, what do you want?" He snapped at her.

"Can you do me a favor?" Anzu pleaded with a poor imitation of Mana's puppy face.

/ _Pathetic._ /

 _Well excuse me, but no one can copy this face! It's literally impossible!_

"NO!" was the lightning-speed response.

/ _Yeah well it seems like no matter the excuse, YOU FAILED!_ /

 _No! Not all hope is lost just yet!_

"I was going to ask you if you want to eat my egg…" Anzu fake-sighed, turning her back to Killua innocently.

"Why? You know that poisons don't affect me."

The twin scowled.

 _What kind of idiotic amateur do you think I am?_

"Idiot, of course I know. I just despise eggs." Cue eyeroll from the boy.

"And you decided to dump your probably most-hated food on your most-hated person? Why am I not surprised." Anzu huffed.

"Don't make such a face it's the most logical thing to do! … And you're not my most-hated person, I just… feel extreme dislike towards you."

"Wow today all you do is praise me… Don't tell me you actually care about me?" Killua cooed, batting his eyelashes. The twin glared.

"Going far too ahead of yourself, pal." He snorted.

"Well then you shouldn't have given me your egg instead of Mana, or Gon, or Kurapika and Leorio… Which again brings us to the question: why me?" Anzu exhaled, irritated.

"I just explained it to you, don't tell me you didn't listen!"

"Oh, I did." Killua spun around himself. "That, however, does not mean you told the truth."

/ _This kid!_ /

 _Shit what am I supposed to do?!_

/ _Calm down, just- just tell him about your matchmaking duty but make sure to do it in a twisted way so he doesn't figure out we're hiding something!_ /

 _Um… We are?_

The voice groaned.

/ _Please someone tell me this kid is not as oblivious as it sounds._ /

 _What are you talking about? A kid?! And I'm not an it!_

/ _Just… do what I say and leave me to cry and curse my_ _life_ _._ /

 _O…kay?_

/ _Repeat after me:_ /

"Coz I don't want to spoil my baby sister, I'm not in mood to give _anything_ to the pervert, and Kurapika will gain weight if he eats another one. And Gon… well…" (/ _Okay what excuse to use… Wow, the fact that I have absolutely no reason I shouldn't give this egg to Gon is practically so disheartening that even my heartless self felt that pain._ /) "Oh, just take the freaking egg and no more questions!" Anzu parroted.

 _Wait. What._

/ _I can't believe you just repeated it without even hearing what I said first! Now that's some Poor Communication Kills_ /

"Not before I hear why you won't give it to Gon." Killua responded, throwing her a weirded-out look. "I understood for everyone but Gon, no matter how ridiculous the reasons. Well, I kinda didn't catch what is with Kurapika and gaining weight, but who cares. Certainly not me. Just tell me why." Killua glared at her and the white-head rolled her eyes.

"Dense idiot. Is it only you and Gon, or the rest of the men are like that, too?"

/ _You're a dense idiot too you shit!_ /

 _Not now, voice._

"It's obvious that if I give an egg to Gon, Mana would be jealous." Anzu answered snappishly.

"But that does not answer my question! And in the first place, why should Mana be jealous from you giving an egg to Gon? It doesn't have any- Oh." Killua stopped mid-sentence, eyes shining with understanding. "I see now. You're playing a matchmaker, aren't you?"

"No shit, Sherlock. And I'm going so damn well it's hilarious!"

"So the reason you pushed Mana off the cliff…" The boy trailed off.

"It's a rare moment for me to do something and not have hidden plans for it."

"A rough way to keep them together, but a way nonetheless. Good job." Anzu snorted.

"Oh, the Mighty Killua praised my good-for-nothing self! My heart is going to burst from happiness~!" She sang and Killua rolled his eyes. As far as he could. And let such an irritated sigh it was a miracle he even could collect enough air in one gulp to pull it off.

/ _Okay pal no matter how annoying you think we are this was just an overkill._ /

"So, care to tell me why you hate eggs so much?" he asked. Anzu sighed, sagging.

"No way out of this now, eh?" Killua shook his head again, gleeful; she sighed again, as if a three-ton Tonpa was placed on her shoulders. "When I was little, I loved eggs, no matter how they were cooked or from what animal they were. I knew so much about them and how to make them (though I kind of can't anyway), that I was practically a walking encyclopedia for eggs. Then some kids from a random village asked me 'What does a snake egg taste like?' and, like the first idiot on earth and all other planets and dimensions ( _and by the way where did THAT swearway come from?_ ), I decided to eat a snake course first I would have to find it, so I somehow got the idea that I could do it alone. When I finally got to see a snake's egg, there was a bonus-slash-unexpected surprise – the two meter pissed off mommy Cobra I failed to see coming." Anzu shivered from the memoryof the angry Cobra Mama Bear and Killua started laughing hysterically. The girl had an idea about what exactly he was imagining, and glared at him. "Yes, yes, I'm dying from laughter, my sides are splitting from so much giggles, call a doctor as long as he's not Leorio. Now, will you eat the stupid egg already?" She whined, throwing her arms in the air.

Killua nodded mockingly serious, still trying to control his laughing fit. Snatching the egg from her hand and checking it carefully – "It's not poisoned you doofus!" – , he peeled it and glanced at the hooded girl, as if searching for permission. Anzu waved her hand to the side, rolling her eyes.

"Eat it, Grandpa, I don't want it."

"You lose." In an instant, the egg was gone and Killua was licking his lips. "Thank you for the food!"

"You're welcome." Anzu and 803 answered in one voice.

/ _Well at least that ended._ / 803 sounded tired.

 _Yeah…_

Mentally agreeing, Anzu relaxed her stance a little, and as the Councilman-or-whatever-the-hell-his-title-was-called Netero started speaking, she felt herself nodding off. After what felt like seconds, someone brought their fist down her head. The girl hiccupped, opening her eyes, and stretched. It was a nice nap. The someone was revealed to be Mana, who snorted really ungracefully for such a graceful-looking child, and walked to the air zeppelin or whatever-it-was-called. Just as she was beginning to move after her sibling, Anzu felt someone pulling her to the ship. She rubbed her eyes, yawning and deliberately slowing down, and glanced at Killua, then at Killua's hand, which was on hers (he was actually holding hands with her, the nerve of him!) before focusing her sight straight ahead.

"Need something." She asked flatly, although it was more of a statement.

"We are to catch that plane or we won't be able to participate in the Third Phase." Killua explained, as if it wasn't obvious. The older twin squashed the urge to hit the boy and scream at him that she wasn't actually as stupid as to not know that.

"Oh, I heard that." She replied instead, voice just a tiny bit threatening.

"Then why are you here?" Killua was actually trying to avoid arguing with her, for once in the very small timeframe they knew each other. Anzu decided to respect that and lay off the teasing when he was serious. Not that a serious Killua happened very often, if what she saw up to this moment was his usual personality, but still.

"Speeches are making me sleepy." For a serious question one received a serious answer – at least, when Anzu actually _wanted_ to answer. The boy evidently detected that, because he shrugged and started dragging her to the ship.

"Let's go, silver idiot." There was no real bite in his comment this time, so Anzu let it go this time.

"Look who's talking…" She retorted instead, mock-scowling but not freeing her hand from the iron grip it was in. Killua rolled his eyes and impatiently tugged her forward.

Somewhere in the far-away corners of Anzu's mind, a voice tittered. / _Wow. If the dumbass I call a vessel tries to tell me she hates that boy after_ this _, I will K.O. her. Really._ /

* * *

From the airship, a shadow watched the interaction between the two kids with rapt attention. Their eyes were drawn to the clasped hands. The figure scowled.

* * *

 _ **Aaaand, this was it! I hope you enjoyed and I apologize for the shorter chapter (~6000W) but this was the most perfect time to stop. See you again soon, YMC!**_


End file.
